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Wonderful  Story 

of  the 
Wonderful  Book 


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gyPlease  read  this  booklet  carefully  and  preserve  it  for  future 
reference.    You  will  need  it. 

No.  4  of  U.  G.  M.  Series. 
THE   J 

Wofidepfal  Story     ™ 

OF  THE 

Wonderful  Book. 


What  the  Bible  Is, 

The  Miracle  of  its  Making, 

The  Miracle  of  its  Keeping, 

The  Miracle  of  its  Contents, 

Its  Wonderful  Power  To-Day, 
Why  We  Should  Believe  It, 
How  We  Should  Use  It, 

Correct  Ready  References, 

Scriptures  Often  Wrongfully  Applied. 
About  500  Bible  Verses  Printed  out 
and  Classified  for  Easy  Reference. 


*-    Who  i*  trAO  ro  Ar^o?  y-  Ao^'f  fte «  ^»r«Lrn/o1p«.8H^ 

Greek  manuscript.    See  page  8  within. 


THIRDEOITION, 


190S 

The  Utah  Gospel.  Mission, 
cleveland,  o. 


Further  inquiries  on  this  or  similar  subjects  will  receive  reply 
If  addressed  as  above.  They  should  enclose  stamp  for  return 
postage.    Price  of  this  booklet,  ten  cents,  postpaid. 


/ 


BELMONT.    C.  M. 


Fr.  William  Gauoirsr. 


I  Eow  pre-oiousia      the     book  di  -  -vine.   By     in-    spi-ra  •   lion  given! 


Bright  as 


Lamp  its     doo-trines  shine.  To  guido  oar    souls    to    heaven. 


2  Its  light  descending  from  above, 
Onr  gloomy  world  to  cheer, 

Displays  a  Saviour's  boundless  love, 
And  brings  His  glories  near. 

3  It  shows  to  man  bis  wandering  ways, 
And  where  his  feet  have  trod; 

And  brings  to  view  the  matchless  grace 
Of  o  forgiving  God. 

4  O'er  all  the  strait  and  narrow  way 
Its  radiant  beams  are  cast; 

A  light  whose  never  weary  ray 
Grows  brightest  at  the  last 

6  It  sweetly  cheers  onr  fainting  hearts 

In  this  dark  vale  of  tears; 
Life,  light,  and  comfort  it  imparts, 

And  calms  our  anxious  fears. 

C  This  lamp  through  all  the  dreary  night 

Of  life  shall  guide  our  way. 
Till  we  behold  the  clearer  light 

Of  an  eternal  day. 

JataFraai, 
167 

1  The  Spirit  breathes  Tjpon  the  word. 
And  brings  the  truth  to  bight; 

Pteeopts  and  promises  afford 
A  sanctifying  light. 

2  A  glory  gilds  the  sacred  page, 
Majestic,  like  the  snn; 

It  gives  a  Jight  to  every  age;— 
It  g>v£S,  bat  borrows  noQe, 


3  The  hand,  that  gave  it,  still  supplies 
The  gracious  light  and  heat; 

Its  truths  upon  the  nationa  rise, — 
,    They  rise,  but  never  set. 

4  Let  everlasting  thanks  be  Thine, 
For  such  a  bright  display. 

As  makes  a  world  of  darkness  shin* 
With  beams  of  heavenly  day. 

6  My  soul  rejoices  to  pursue 

The  steps  of  Him  I  love, 
Till  glory  breaks  upon  my  view, 

In  brighter  worlds  above. 

1  Father  of  mercies  I  in  Thy  word 
What  endless  glory  shines! 

For  ever  be  Thy  name  adored, 
For  these  celestial  lines. 

2  Here,  the  fair  tree  of  knowledge  groxrs. 
And  yields  a  free  repast; 

Sublimer  sweets  than  nature  knows 
Invite  the  longing  taste. 

3  Here,  the  Redeemer's  welcome  voice 
Spreads  heavenly  peace  around; 

And  life  and  everlasting  joys 
Attend  the  blissful  sound. 

4  Oh,  may  these  heavenly  pages  bo 
My  ever  dear  delight; 

And  still  new  beauties  may  I  s«p, 
Ai;d  still  increasing  light. . 


Rom.  15:4;  For  whatsoever  things  were  writtsft  aforetime 
were  written  for  our  learning,  that  through  patience  anr  through 
comfort  of  the  scriptures  we  might  nave  hope. 

I  Cor.  10:11;  Now  these  things  happened  unto  then*  oy  way 
of  example;  and  they  were  written  for  our  admonition,  upon 
whom  the  ends  of  the  ages  are  come.  (The  Bible  is  thus  not 
an  outgrown  book,  but  fits  our  needs  to-day,  completely;  be- 
cause it  was  inspired  by  God  for  this  very  purpose.) 

Eph.  6:17;  And  take  the  helmet  of  salvation,  and  the  sword 
of  the  Soirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God.  (The  divine  w;eapon 
by  which  the  Holy  Spirit  does  the  most  of  his  work  in  the 
hearts  of  men.) 

Deut.  6:6:  These  words,  which  I  command  thee  this  day, 
shall  be  upon  thy  heart ;  7.  and  thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently 
unto  thy  children. 


The  Wonderful  Story 

OF  THE 

Wonderful  Book* 


Contents, 

Forewords ...Page    a 

I.    What  the  Bible  Is 3 

II.    The  Miracle  of  Making  the  Bible: 

The  Books  of  the  Bible  and  their  Human  Authors 4 

The  Languages  of  the  Bible  (cut  of  Hebrew) 5 

The  Manuscripts  now  Known  (cuts  of  Greek  and  Syriac)    6 
Selecting  the  Books  of  the  Bible— Are  any  Left  Out? 9 

III.  The  Miracle  of  Preserving  and  Transmitting  the  Bible -  12 

Persecutions  against  the  Word .  13 

The  Translations  of  the  Bible 14 

IV.  The  Duty  and  Privilege  of  Using  the  Bible 17 

Hovj  to  Use  the  Word  of  God 19 

The  Spirit  in  which  the  Bible  must  be  Used 20 

The  Methods  Necessary 22-31 

V.    Why  we  should  Believe  the  Bible  (cuts).. 31--*1 

VI.    Why  we  should  Not  Believe  in  AnyOther  Book  as  from  God. .41-44 

VII.    Helps  in  Understanding  and  Using  the  Bible 44 

VIII.    Helpful  and  Correct  Ready  References:    (Passages  classified 

and  printed  out)  45~^6 

What  The  Bible  Teaches 

About  God:  Personally;  One, Trinity,  4S;  Spirit,  49; 
Unchangeable,  Invisible-,  Omnipresent,  50;  Omnis- 
cient, Omnipotent,  Holy,  51;  Incomprehensible,  52. 
Christ:    Eternal,  Born  on   Earth,  52;     Purpose    of 

Coming,  Atonement,  53;  Resurrection,  54. 
The  Holy  Spirit:    A  Person,  54;  His  Work,  55;  How 
Obtained,  56;  Laying  on  of  Hands,  57. 
About  Man:     Creation   and  Fall,  5S;    Destiny,  How 
Saved,  59. 
His  Sin,  its  Origin,  Hatefulness  and  Penalty,  59,  60. 
His  Salvation:    God's  Part,  61 ;    Man's   Part,  64-6S; 
Faith   and   "Works,  6S-71;     Salvation   in  This  Life 
Only,  71;  Sanctification,  71. 
About  Revelation;    How  it  Comes,  72;    Continuous 

and  Not  Continuous,  73-74. 
About  the  Church  of  Christ;  75-77. 
About  the  Future  Life;  Hades,  two  parts,  no  cross- 
ing over,  77-78;    The  Resurrection  Bod}-,  79;    Day 
of  Judgment,  Si;  Heaven,  82;  Hell,  83. 
About  True  Religion;  85. 

IX.    Bible  Passages  Wrongly  Interpreted S6-102 

Passages  Supposed  to  Teach 

That  God  has  a  flesh  and  bones  body,  S6;  that  there 
are  Many  Gods,  SS;  that  Baptism  is  Necessary  to 
Salvation  and  Remits  Sins,  89-93;  about  the  Angel 
with  the  Gospel,  93;  that  the  Church  is  founded  on 
Revelation, 94;  Baptism  for  the  Dead, 95;  Salvation 
for  the  Lost  Dead,  97;  the  Pre-existence  of  Human 
Beings,  oS;  that  Revelation  is  Continuous,  99;  the 
"  Four  First  Principles,"  101. 

Conclusion _ 102 

Form  of  Surrender 103 


FOREWORDS* 

Multitudes  of  people,  even  in  professedly  Chris- 
tian lands,  know  almost  nothing  of  the  facts  which 
lie  behind  our  faith  in  the  Bible,  and  far  too  little 
of  the  blessed  Word  itself.  It  would  seem  that  no 
one  could  know  the  wonderful  history  of  this  most 
wonderful  Book  without  being  impelled  to  know 
more  of  the  Bible  itself.  The  Word  of  God  de- 
serves a  hundred  times  its  present  amount  of  study, 
for  it  easily  ranks  as  the  greatest  volume  of  truth 
known  to  man,  and  is  his  guide  and  strength  through 
life  and  into  heaven;  God's  very  Message  to  him  for 
this  purpose. 

This  booklet  is  prepared  especially  for  use  by  the 
missionaries  of  the  Utah  Gospel  Mission,  in  Utah 
and  surrounding  regions.  But  while  it  is  designed 
to  be  of  the  utmost  possible  help  to  those  who  be- 
lieve in  other  books  besides  the  Bible  as  likewise 
sacred,  and  who  are  thus  especially  liable  to  under- 
value the  Word,  it  is  believed  that  much  of  the  book- 
let will  be  of  hardly  less  value  to  others.  It  lays  no 
claim  to  other  merit  than  that  of  being  a  plain,  earnest 
setting  forth  of  the  greater  facts  about  and  of  the  Word, 
and  of  those  principles  of  Bible  study  which  are  held 
in  common  by  all  thoughtful  Christians.  Competent 
friends  belonging  to  several  different  denominations 
have  been  kind  enough  to  examine  the  manuscript 
or  proofs  carefully,  so  •  that  the  work  is  believed  to 
be  fairly  representative  of  the  general  Christian  view 
on  the  chief  matters  presented,  and  should  be  so  taken. 
That  the  booklet  may  be  of  the  greatest  possible 
help  to  the  cause  of  Christ  everywhere  is  the  writ- 
er's earnest  wish  and  prayer. 

Cleveland,  Ohio,  March,  1906. 

Indebtedness  is  hereby  acknowledged  to  the  authors  of  the 
following  works,  among  others,  which  have  been  consulted  in 
the  preparation  of  this  booklet:  The  Divine  Authority  o-f  the 
Bible,  Logic  of  Christian  Evidences,  and  Scientific  Aspects  of 
Christian  Evidences,  by  Prof.  George  Frederick  Wright,  D.  D., 
LL.  D.  ;  Elements  of  Theology,  by  President  J.  H.  Fairchild, 
D.  D. ;  Outlines  of  Theology,  by  Prof.  A.  A.  Hodge,  D.  D. ; 
Bible  Text  Cyclopedia,  by  Inglis ;  Life  of  Jesus  the  Messiah, 
Edersheim;  Smith's  Bible  Dictionary  (4  vols.);  Schaff-Herzog, 
Encyclopedia  of  Religious  Knowledge  (3  vols.)  ;  Meyer  on 
Romans ;  Clarke's  Commentary ;  Godet  on  Luke ;  Cowles'  Com- 
mentaries (14  vols.);  Lange's  Commentaries  (25  vols.);  Rob- 
inson's and  Thayer's  Lexicons  o-f  the  New  Testament;  Young's 
Analytical  Concordance;  Systematic  Theology,  by  Prof. 
Charles  Hodge,  D.  D.  ;  Butler's  Bible  Work ;  Neander's  His- 
tory of  Dogma;  Neander's  and  Kurtz's  Church  Histories; 
Gardiner's  Harmony  of  the  Gospels  in  Greek ;  _  Reuss'  His- 
tory of  the  New  Testament;  Encyclopedia  Brittannica;  The 
Religion  of  China;  The  Light  of  Asia  and  the  Light  of  the 
World;  The  Monuments  and  the  Old  Testament;  Creation,  by 
Prof.  A.  Guyot;  Genesis,  by  Prof.  S.  R.  Driver,  D.  D. ;  The 
Problem    of   the    Old'  Testament,    by    Prof.    James    Orr,    D.    D. 


L    WHAT  THE  BIBLE  IS. 

The  fundamental  statements  in  the  Word  of  God 
about  itself  are  like  these:  "Ye  accepted  it  not  as 
the  word  of  men,  but,  as  it  is  in  truth,  the  word  of 
God,  which  also  worketh  in  you  that  believe."  (I. 
Thess.  2:13.)  And  Paul  again  says,  in  I.  Cor.  14:37, 
"Let  him  take  knowledge  of  the  things  which  I 
write  unto  you,  that  they  are  the  commandment  of 
the  Lord."  In  I.  Peter  1 123-5  the  Word  is  spoken 
of  as  "The  word  of  God,  which  liveth  and  abideth 
.  .  .the  Word  of  the  Lord  abideth  forever.  And  this  is 
the  word  of  good  tidings  which  was  preached  unto 
you."  Christ  Himself  says  in  Matt.  5:18,  "Till  heav- 
en and  earth  pass  away,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall 
in  no  wise  pass  away  from  the  law,  till  all  things 
be  accomplished."  While  none  of  these  statements 
were  made  of  the  Bible  in  its  present  completed 
form,  they  referred  to  portions  of  it  and  must  be 
essentially  true  of  it  as  a  whole,  because  of  its  real 
unity;  and  thus  we  here  have  God  himself  affirming 
that  the  Bible  is  essentially  His  word  to  man,  is 
consequently  true,  is  a  living  instead  of  a  dead 
Word,  and  that  thus  it  "abideth"  forever  or  until  all 
is  accomplished.  Other  passages  tell  us  more  about 
how  the  Bible  was  given  and  its  wonderful  effects; 
these  will  be  considered  later  in  our  study  about 
the  Word. 

Even  those  who  believe  in  other  books  as  from 
God  are  constrained  to  admit  that  the  Bible  is  the 
best  book  in  the  world.  In  reality  there  is  no  other 
which  can  begin  to  compare  with  it.  If  all  modern 
good  literature  were  lost  and  its  writers  had  passed 
away,  under  the  powerful  impulse  of  this  wonderful 
Book  it  would  in  time  be  replaced,  as  good  as  be- 
fore. No  book  so  stimulates  thought  or  action  as 
this.  The  world  could  better  afford  to  lose  all 
other  books  than  this.  It  stands  alone,  as  God's 
One  Book  of  his  revealed  will,  and  always  will  so 
stand;  it  "abideth  forever,"  and  nothing  can  replace 
it,  either  in  the  hearts  of  men  or  the  purposes  of 
God. 


4 

J.    THE  MIRACLE  OF  MAKING  THE 
BIBLE. 

Where  did  this  wonderful  book  of  God  come 
from,  and  how?  These  are  exceedingly  important 
questions.  We  must  know  that  the  true  history  of 
any  book  proves  its  divine  origin  before  we  have 
any  right  to  accept  it  as  from  God.  Otherwise  we 
might  be  imposed  upon  by  any  number  of  pretend- 
ed revelations,  and  led  into  all  sorts  of  error  and  sin. 

The  Books  of  the  Bible,  and  their  Human  Authors. 

The  Bible  is  not  one  Book,  and  yet  it  is  one  Book. 
The  volume  is  made  up  of  sixty-six  different  parts, 
called  "books,"  written  by  about  forty  different  au- 
thors, during  a  period  of  about  1,600  years;  yet  it 
is  really  one,  as  we  shall  see  later.  The  careful  stu- 
dent of  these  different  writers  will  perceive  that, 
while  each  was  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  write 
and  give  essentially  the  divine  message,  he  still 
preserved  his  own  individuality  of  style  and  thought; 
showing  that  the  writers  of  the  Word  were  not  mere 
machines  to  record  words  suggested  to  them  by  the 
Holy  Spirit.  The  essential  thought  of  the  message 
was  inspired,  and  the  writers  were  kept  by  the 
same  sacred  Power  from  making  essential  errors 
in  conveying  that  thought  by  the  language  used. 
God  never  works  a  miracle  unless  it  is  necessary, 
and  this  is  all  that  was  necessary  to  carry  His 
thoughts  to  the  readers  of  the  original  written  cop- 
ies. But,  as  the  readers  of  these  originals  and  their 
copies  were  only  the  smallest  fraction  of  tho:,e 
whom  God  wished  to  reach  with  his  Word,  we 
must  suppose  that  the  careful,  painstaking  trans- 
lation of  these  copies  into  the  languages  which 
should  become  necessary  has  also  been  aided  and 
protected  by  God,  so  that  the  proper  translations 
are  also  substantially  correct.  Otherwise  the  great 
mass  of  mankind  could  never  have  any  Book  of 
revelation  from  God  at  all. 

Although  so  many  writers  were  used  during  so 
many  ages  to  write  the  books  of  the  Bible,  their 
work  is  so  clearly  a  unit  in  thought,  purpose,  doc- 
trine and  morality,  and  each  book  so  fits  in  as  a 
part  of  the  whole,   that   they  really   form   only   one 


5 
Book — the  blessed  Book  of  Books,  the  Word  of 
God.  This  unity  out  of  diversity  can  be  accounted 
for  only  by  the  direct  supervision  of  God  upon  each 
writer,  so  that  he  should  write  just  his  part  of  the 
great  Whole — often  if  not  always  without  knowing 
that  it  was  to  be  a  part  at  all.  The  result  is  truly 
miraculous.  If  forty  men  of  to-day  and  in  one 
place  should  set  themselves  to  write  each  an  agreed 
section  of  a  book  upon  a  certain  subject,  they  would 
certainly  express  views  which  were  different,  if  not 
contradictory.  If  we  distribute  the  forty  men  into 
different  regions  and  through  1,600  years  of  time, 
and  have  them  write  without  anv  agreement  what- 
ever and  mostly  without  any  knowledge  of  any  plan 
or  resulting  book  at  all,  a  resulting  unity  could  come 
only  by  some  miracle  of  supervising  Power  like 
that  which  produced  the  Word  of  God.  And  es- 
pecially would  this  be  true  of  writers  upon  a  sub- 
ject where  such  infinite  disagreement  of  view  ex- 
isted as  upon  that  of  religion  before  revelation  came. 
Truly,  it  must  be  as  2  Peter  1:21  says:  "No  proph- 
ecy ever  came  by  the  will  of  man :  but  men  spake 
from   God,  being  moved  by  the   Holy  Spirit." 

The  Language  of  the  Bible. 

The    39    books    of    the    Old    Testament    were    all 
written   in   Hebrew,   the   language  of  God's   ancient 

SH|W 


tTBE22& 


Hebrew ;  from  the  oldest  Mss.  now  known,  about  875  A.  D.    3  columns  to  page. 

chosen  people,  the  Jews,  through  whom  the  reve- 
lations were  given.  The  27  books  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament were  written  in  Greek,  which  had  at  that 
time  become  a  very  common  speech  of  the  Jewish 
people  and  was  also  the  language  of  the  world's 
highest  culture  and  philosophy  elsewhere.  These* 
two  were  the  best  languages  for  the  purpose  which 
had  ever  existed,  up  to  that  time. 


6 

The  Manuscripts  now  Known. 

The  history  of  some  of  the  early  written  copies 
of  the  New  Testament  reads  like  a  novel,  so  strange 
is  it.  The  one  named  the  Codex  Sinaiticus,  of  which 
a  few  lines  are  here  shown,  is  especially  interesting. 

x   €NXpXHHNOAOr«c 
r      KAIOAOTOCHN 

n  po  cton  eTi  KAI 

6C  H  N  OAOrpcOT 

TOCHN€NXfXH 

Codex  Sinaiticus,  about  350  A.  D.    N.  T.  is  4  cols,  to  page. 
This  cut  gives  John  1:1. 

In  1844  Count  Tischendorff,  then  a  young  scholar  of 
about  thirty,  was  making  researches  for  old  manu- 
scripts of  various  kinds,  and  reached  the  convent 
at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Sinai,  in  Arabia.  Observing  an 
ignorant  monk  kindling  a  fire  with  some  old  papers, 
etc.,  one  chilly  evening,  he  interfered  just  in  time 
to  save  what  later  proved  to  be  a  part  of  this  copy 
of  the  whole  Bible.  But  the  remainder  could  not 
be  secured  until  he  went  back  the  third  time,  with 
authority  from  the  Czar  of  Russia,  in  1859.  The 
whole  is  on  vellum  made  of  antelope  skins,  of  which 
195  were  necessary  for  this  one  volume.  This  Codex 
is  now  in  the  Imperial  Library  at  St.  Petersburg. 
The   second  manuscript   in   point   of  value  is   called 

C  I.M  6TCO  MegAO  M  M  fO^ 

nfpeiN  e-roycnpcp 
To.y.e  1  c  cyNjcXe/AN 

-0  ►  IJJi  XTO CX y  6N CTOM * 
T\f€  ^CMl'oYwVcipGff 
KcWnKey  ka  k  kv  /  oy 
g  yc  1  *  e crfcrtef  cc&Vj  i6U 

Codex  Vaticanus.    Date  about  A.  D.  330-350.    3  columns  on  each  page  of  N.  T. 

the  Codex  Vaticanus,  which  is  similar  in  appearance, 
and  is  kept  in  the  great  library  of  the  Vatican,  at 
Rome.     The   Codex  Sinaiticus  is  supposed  by  some 


7 

to  be  one  of  the  fifty  beautiful  copies  which  the 
Emperor  Constantine  ordered  made  with  the  great- 
est care  in  A.  D.  331 ;  it  certainly  dates  from  about 
that  time,  as  also  does  the  Vaticanus.  The  Sinaiti- 
cus  is  entire;  some  portions  of  the  Vaticanus  are 
missing.  These  two  are  the  most  important  copies 
known.  Next  in  value  is  probably  the  Codex  Alex- 
andrinus,  dating  from  about  450  A.  D.,  now  in  the 
British    Museum. 

The  great  cost  of  the  skins  prepared  for  writing 
sometimes  led  to  scraping  off  the  Bible  characters 
from  the  vellum,  so  that  the  material  could  be  used 
over  again  for  some  other  book.  The  value  of  these 
in  regard  to  the  Bible  lies  in  what  can  yet  be  read 
of  the  first  writing,  under  the  later;  and  by  the  use 
of  chemicals  sometimes  nearly  the  whole  can  be 
made  out.  These  manuscripts  are  called  the  palimp- 
sests; the  most  important  of  them  is  the  Codex 
Ephraemi,  dating  from  about  the  same  time  as  the 


Codex  Ephraemi,  a  "  Palimpsest,"  dating  from  about  450  A.  D. 

Alexandrinus;  it  is  now  kept  in  the  National  Library* 
at  Paris. 

The  early  Greek  copies  were  written  wholly  in 
capitals,  as  shown  in  the  foregoing  cuts;  the  small 
or  "lower  case"  letters,  as  a  printer  would  call 
them  now,  being  unknown  in  any  language  till  hun- 
dreds of  years  later  than  these  early  Mss.  There 
were  no  spaces  between  words,  and  no  punctuation; 
words  being  run  together  like  this:  INTHEBE- 
GINNINGWASTHEWORDANDTHEWORDWAS 
WITHGODANDTHEWORDWASGOD.  These 

capital-letter  copies  are  called  "uncial"  manuscripts. 


8 

Those  with  capitals  and  small  letters  together  be- 
gan to  be  made  about  800  A.  D.,  and  continued  till 

*or  p  («r\*on-6  p a>  //  •  ou  rXp  />  1  -t^o/'  -pw.  tbVj^  p our* 

Codex  Basilensis,  a  "  cursive  "  Mss.  dating  from  about  750  A.  D. 
The  oldest  cursive. 

superseded  by  printing.  The  early  printed  copies 
were  in  heavy  letters,  on  large  pages,  very  different 
from  the  beautiful  and  convenient  Bibles  which 
every  one  can  have  now,  and  should  faithfully  use. 

The  New  Testament  was  very  early  translated 
from  the  Greek  into  the  languages  of  other  peoples 
who  did  not  have  the  gospel,  and  manuscript  copies 
of  these  ar^  among  our  very  important  sources  of 
knowledge  about  the  Word.  The  most  important 
of  these  is  the  Peshito,  a  Syriac  translation,   made 

-looA     ^x>*<c\    yCvbw 

Striae  B;ble  (Peshito  version).'  Oldest  Syriac,  dated  A.  D.  464. 

probably  about  a  hundred  years  after  Christ.  The 
Old  Latin,  the  Gothic  and  the  Coptic  or  Egyptian 
translations  were  all  made  within  the  next  century 
or  so  after  the  Peshito — showing  the  rapid  spread  of 
the  gospel  and  the  high  value  placed  on  the  Scrip- 
ture. 

The  total  number  of  manuscripts  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament in  Greek  now  known — not  counting  the 
translations  at  all — is  about  3,700;  of  which  about 
100  are  uncials,  and  a  very  large  proportion,  (prob- 
ably half)  have  been  discovered  during  the  last  half- 
century.  New  discoveries  are  of  course  possible 
at  any  time  in  the  progress  of  Eastern  research. 
But  there  is  no  probability  that  any  such  discovery 
will  do  more  than  confirm  the  best  manuscripts  now 
in  hand.  By  an  increasing  miracle  of  the  ages  God 
has  given  us  his  Word,  and  His  future  disclosures 
will  doubtless  only  confirm  those  of  the  past,  un- 
less in  minor   detail. 


9 
Selecting  the  Books  to  Make  up  the  Bible. 

What  books  belong  in  the  Bible,  and  what  do  not? 
How  were  those  now  in  the  Word  selected;  and  how 
can  we  know  that  they  all  belong  there  and  that 
none  have  been  left  out?  These  are  very  important 
questions,  and  are  often  asked;  and  volumes  have 
been  written  in  reply.  The  gist  of  the  facts,  how- 
ever, may  be  put  very  briefly  as  follows: 

i.  God,  who  gave  the  Bible,  led  his  people  to 
understand  what  books  belonged  in  it.  This  he 
did  by  .his  Spirit,  acting  largely  through  natural  means, 
as  God  generally  does  in  anything.  Take  the  Epistles 
of  Paul,  as  an  illustration  of  how  this  was  done. 
In  his  missionary  journeys  the  Apostle  spent  some 
time  in  each  of  many  places,  preaching  and  talking 
with  the  people  about  Christ.  In  a  number  of  these 
enough  persons  were  converted  from  paganism  or 
Judaism  to  enable  him  to  found  a  little  church,  hold- 
ing the  same  doctrines  which  are  held  to-day  by 
all  Christian  churches  and  found  clearly  in  the  New 
Testament.  But  these  converts  were  young  and  in- 
experienced; their  neighbors  were  all  either  idola- 
ters or  Jews;  their  knowledge  and  grasp  of  Christian 
doctrine  was  largely  limited  to  what  the  Apostle 
had  told  them  while  he  could  remain  in  their  midst; 
they  had  few  and  perhaps  often  no  Scriptures,  unless 
it  be  portions  of  or  perhaps  the  whole  Old  Testament. 
Important  questions  of  doctrine,  duty,  daily  life 
and  church  management  were  constantly  arising. 
Nothing  was  more  natural  than  that  St.  Paul,  hear- 
ing in  other  fields  of  their  need,  should  write  letters 
of  fatherly  counsel  and  instruction  to  these  his 
spiritual  children,  and  that  the  Holy  Spirit  should 
so  guide  him  in  this  that  many  of  his  letters  would 
have  great  permanent  value  for  the  church  of  Christ 
through  the  ages.  This  was  the  case.  Such  a  let- 
ter, being  sent  by  a  special  messenger  known  to 
the  church  addressed,  written  or  signed  in  the  fa- 
miliar handwriting  of  the  great  Apostle  (see  II 
Thess.  3:17),  and  containing  other  marks  of  his 
authorship  in  its  literary  style,  local  allusions  and 
familiar  doctrine,  the  church  addressed  could  not  be 
deceived  about  it.  It  would  be  accepted  at  once, 
read  in  public  frequently,  acted  upon  promptly, 
preserved    carefully    and    probably    replied    to    affec- 


IO 

tionately;  in  which  case,  if  need  there  were,  a 
second  epistle  would  be  written;  which  would  be 
likewise  treated  by  the  church  if  of  similar  im- 
portance. Soon  the  church  nearest  this  one  would 
learn  of  the  letter  from  Paul  the  beloved,  and  would 
wish  to  hear  it  read,  so  that  a  copy  would  be  sent 
them;  while  if  they  had  one  too,  theirs  would  be  sent 
to  the  other  church.  Thus  in  a  few  years  all  the 
important  epistles  to  churches  in  a  great  region 
would  become  common  property,  under  the  guid- 
ance of  the  Holy  Spirit,  known  and  treasured  in 
all;  and  gradually  their  acceptance  would  extend 
to  all  the  churches  in  the  known  world.  This  is 
exactly  what  took  place  with  the  Epistles.  Not 
all  were  thus  preserved;  for  some,  perhaps  very 
many,  letters  were  written  which  were  not  of  suffi- 
cient general  or  permanent  importance;  and  these 
the  Spirit  did  not,  of  course,  bring  into  either  gen- 
eral use  or  permanent  preservation.  In  a  similar 
manner  the  first  three  Gospels  had  already  obtained 
general  acceptance  during  about  the  same  period ; 
and  likewise  the  Gospel  of  John  later. 

The  early  churches  having  this  knowledge  as  to 
which  writings  were  authentic,  and  the  conviction 
of  the  inspired  character  and  permanent  importance 
of  most  of  them  being  gradually  wrought  in  their 
consciousness,  we  see  what  the  only  remaining  step 
in  settling  the  make-up  of  the  New  Testament  must 
be.  No  council  could  possibly  vote  in  a  book  which 
was  not  already  in  by  the  operations  of  the  divine 
Spirit  as  above  outlined.  No  council  could  vote  out 
any  book  which  was  thus  already  in.  No  council 
has  ever  attempted  to  do  either  of  these.  All  that 
could  be  done  was  simply  to  declare  publicly  the 
results  already  reached  by  the  Divine  method;  and 
this  is  all  that  ever  has  been  done  by  any  organiza- 
tion whatever.  *  All  the  stories  about  men  or 
councils  deciding  what  books  they  wanted,  in  the 
Bible,  casting  out  some  and  putting  in  others,  etc., 
are  either     pure   fraud   or     ignorance,   or  both     com- 

*The  Council  of  Carthage,  A.  D.  357,  first  made  a  formal 
declaration  of  the  books  which  were  already  accepted  by  the 
churches,   practically  the   same   as   we  now   have   them. 

"No  council  ever  ventured  to  introduce  an  unknown  book  into 
any  community  and  say  That  is  Scripture." — Rev.  F.  H.  Foster, 
formerly  Professor  of  Church  "History  in  Oberlin  Theological 
Seminary.      [See  also  note  in  center  of  page  103.] 


II 

bi'ned.  They  probably  originated  with  infidels,  and 
have  been  spread  abroad  chiefly  by  those  who  hated 
the  Bible  and  would  tear  the  Word  of  God  out 
from  the  hearts  of  men  forever.  One  of  the  painful 
facts  in  this  connection  is  that  such  untruths  have 
been  circulated  so  widely  among  the  Mormon  peo- 
ple, and  are  so  often  innocently  believed.  But  the 
facts  are  as  here  stated;  as  can  be  ascertained  from 
any  Christian  scholar  or  any  standard  work  on  such 
subjects. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  in  this  connection  that  the 
severe  persecutions  which  were  intended  to  destroy 
the  written  Word  would  inevitably  tend  sharply 
to  distinguish  between  the  true  Scripture  and  all 
other  writings;  as  no  one  would  risk  his  life  in  per- 
secution to  retain  anything  else.  After  passing 
through  this  fiery  ordeal,  at  least,  the  church  may  tie 
supposed  to  have  reached  very  definite  ideas  as  to 
what  was   really   Scripture. 

The  question  as  to  what  books  belonged  in  the 
Old  Testament  had  been  settled  long  before  Christ's 
day;  probably  by  a  similar  process  and  guidance. 
The  fact  that  Christ  quotes  from  so  many  of  them 
as  Scripture  is  very  conclusive  proof  that  they  are 
all  the  Word  of  God. 

2.  But  it  is  frequently  asserted,  especially  by  Mor- 
mon writers,  that  many  books  have  been  omitted 
on  purpose,  while  some  have  been  lost  out;  and 
the  Book  of  Mormon  says  (i  Nephi  xiii  126-29)  that 
"they  have  taken  away  from  the  gospel  of  the 
Lamb  many  parts  which  are  plain  and  most  prec- 
ious" .  .  .  "that  they  might  blind  the  eyes  of 
the  children  of  men  .  .  .  "  It  is  often  said  that 
"the  ministers"  have  done  this  "taking  away:"  and 
yet  in  the  next  breath  the  objector  will  very  likely 
say  that  "there  are  600  different  denominations,  each 
teaching  different  doctrines  and  all  fighting  one  an- 
other," t>r  something  of  this  kind.  But  it  should  be 
remembered  that  whatever  difference  of  view  has 
existed  (the  above  statements  are  the  grossest  ex- 
aggerations) has  tended  to  keep  the  Word  of  God 
free  from  change.  If  one  denomination  had  at- 
tempted to  change  the  Word,  the  others  which 
differed  from  it  would  instantly  have  advertised 
the    fact    and    would    thus    have    prevented    it.     And 


12 

the  real  truth  is  that  all  denominations  of  Christians 
are  united  in  believing  and  upholding  the  entire 
Word  of  God,  as  it  is,  and  that  nothing  would  raise 
a  greater  storm  of  indignation  throughout  Christen- 
dom than  any  attempt  whatever  to  alter  the  Bible. 
The  Word  is  loved  by  the  Christian  world  in  a  way 
which  can  hardly  be  understood  by  others;  and  any 
such  statement  like  the  above  quotation  is  prepos- 
terously untrue.  Not  a  fragment  has  knowingly 
been  omitted. 

The  fact  that  other  books  are  referred  to  in  the 
Bible  does  not  imply  in  the  least  that  they  ever  were 
a  part  of  it,  any  more  than  the  mention  of  court 
records  in  a  private  letter  would  make  them  a  part 
of  it.  The  writings  which  are  mentioned  but  not  in- 
cluded in  the  Bible  are  usually  public  records. 
The  facts  already  given  in  the  preceding  pages 
show  conclusively  that  neither  books  or  parts  of 
the  Bible  have  been  omitted.  What  sort  of  a 
being  would  God  be  if  he  gave  a  revelation  to  the 
world  and  then  permitted  wicked  men  to  mutilate 
it  or  others  to  lose  it?  We  challenge  any  one  any- 
where to  bring  one  iota  of  proof  to  show  that  even 
one  single  sentence  has  been  either  taken  or  lost 
from  the  Bible.  One  is  sometimes  tempted  to  fear 
that  such  baseless  statements  were  made  for  the 
purpose  of  weakening  faith  in  the  Bible, 'so  as  to 
make  room  for  other  books  of  supposed  revelation. 
Rev.  22:18  would  in  spirit  apply  fully  to  any  one 
guilty  of  such  an  attempt. 

— <S> 

III.    THE   MIRACLE   OF   PRESERVING 
AND  TRANSMITTING  THE  BIBLE. 

No  book  has  had  so  many  enemies,  whether  hu- 
man or  superhuman,  as  the  Bible.  It  was  given  for 
the  purpose  of  delivering  men  from  evil,  and  every 
power  of  evil  has  always  been  against  it.  -Efforts 
to  blot  it  out  of  existence,  to  lessen  or  destroy  es- 
teem for  it  so  that  it  would  be  lost  out  of  practical 
human  life,  and  to  so  misconstrue  it  as  to  destroy 
or  pervert  its  power,  have  characterized  its  whole 
history,  even  to  our  day.  Emperors  have  hurled 
anathemas  and  waged  persecutions  of  blood  and  fire 
against  it.     Pagan  and  infidel  have  sought  so  to  cov- 


13 
er  it  with  calumny  as  to  blot  it  from  the  respect  of 
men.  Biased,  illogical,  and  sometimes  even  wilfully 
false  interpreters  have  made  it  seem  contrary  to 
reason  and  hence  not  from  the  God  of  truth.  Neg- 
lect has  covered  it  with  dust  in  the  very  houses  of 
its  friends,  until  the  resulting  ignorance  has  per- 
verted its  truth  into  apparently  discrediting  errors, 
although  these  existed  only  in  the  minds  of  their 
advocates.  Every  modern  system  of  priest-craft, 
and  every  jangling  counterfeit  of  Christianity,  now 
attempts  to  fasten  itself  like  a  barnacle  upon  the 
true  Body  of  Christ,  by  the  statement  that  "the 
Bible  sustains  our  teaching."  Amid  all  this  awful 
combination  of  hostile  forces,  is  it  too  strong  to  speak 
of  the  preservation  of  the  Word  through  them  all 
as  a  miracle  of  divine  power? 

PERSECUTIONS    AGAINST    THE    WORD. 

In  several  of  the  early  persecutions  by  Pagan 
Rome  against  the  Christian  church,  especial  enmity 
was  directed  against  the  wonderful  Book  which  was 
the  evident  earthly  source  of  her  power  then,  as 
now.  But  in  the  persecution  which  raged  under 
the  emperor  Diocletian,  about  A.  D.  303,  this  was 
especially  true;  and  the  possession  of  even  a  frag- 
ment of  the  sacred  writings  was  sufficient  to  con- 
demn the  individual  to  death  by  cruel  torture  if 
-he  would  not  surrender  it.  Many  Christians  thus 
went  to  martyrdom;  many  others  gave  up  their 
Scripture,  and  were  excluded  from  Christian  fel- 
lowship therefor.  The  number  of  copies  of  the 
sacred  Book  was  of  course  much  reduced  by  this 
attempt  to  destroy  at  once  Christianity  and  her 
Book  of  God.  But  the  effort  failed,  after  deluging 
the  Empire  with  the  blood  of  its  best  citizens,  and 
God  still  preserved  His  Word  among  men,  held  in 
higher  esteem  than  ever  before. 

Many  natural  causes  operate  against  the  pres- 
ervation of  any  perishable  object.  Wear  from  use, 
injury  by  accidents,  destruction  by  fire  in  the  burn- 
ing of  homes  and  libraries,  carelessness  by  ignorant 
persons,  the  natural  decay  of  the  more  perishable 
classes  of  manuscripts — such  causes  are  always  op- 
erating; and  they  might  have  destroyed  every  an- 
cient manuscript  of  the  Bible  but  for  the  special 
care    of    God.     As    the    precious    relics   of   antiquity 


H 
are  being  discovered  one  by  one,  we  are  impressed 
anew  with  the  wonderful  care  which  has  preserved 
them  to  our  day. 

The  Translation  of  the  Bible. 

A  Word  given  to  the  whole  world  for  its  salvation 
must  necessarily  be  translated,  so  that  people  of 
many  different  languages  can  have  it,  alike.  And 
great  souls  who  have  felt  its  wonder-working  power 
in  their  own  hearts  will  surely  have  a  yearning  to 
give  the  good  tidings  to  others,  which  no  difference 
of  language  can  repress ;  and  some  will  feel  called 
of  God  to  translate  the  Bible  into  other  tongues. 
This  is  God's  method  in  spiritual  things.  His  bless- 
ings are  first  given  to  the  few  who  are  prepared  to 
receive  them.  Then  He  makes  them  channels  of 
the  same  blessings  to  others.  And  it  would  be  just 
as  reasonable  to  suppose  that  God  would  give  an 
essentially  faulty  revelation  in  the  first  place  as  to 
suppose  that  He  would  not  guard  his  faithful  ser- 
vants in  putting  it  into  different  languages,  so  that 
they  should  not  make  essential  error.  To  suppose 
otherwise  is  to  deprive  the  most  of  the  world  of 
having  any  Revelation  whatever;  because  so  few  can 
read  the  original  Greek  and  Hebrew. 

As  already  stated,  the  Bible  was  very  early  trans- 
lated into  many  languages.  Other  translations  were 
made  through  the  ages  as  need  required.  The  rise 
and  importance  of  the  English  language,  and  a 
burning  desire  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel  among 
the  masses,  led  Wycliffe  in  1380  to  issue  a  trans- 
lation of  the  New  Testament  into  English,  made  from 
the  Latin  Vulgate;  and  in  1525  Tyndale  issued  the 
New  Testament  in  English  from  the  original  Greek. 
This  was  proscribed  by  the  Romish  hierarchy  and 
ordered  destroyed,  but  nevertheless  did  great  good. 
Being  forbidden  in  England,  a  company  of  perse- 
cuted Christians  took  refuge  in  Geneva,  Switzerland, 
and  published  there  the  "Geneva"  edition  in  1560, 
and  succeeded  in  circulating  it  largely  in  England. 
The  circulation  of  these  editions  having  been  used 
by  God  to  produce  the  great  Reformation  in  Eng- 
land, and  King  James  having  authorized  a  great 
commission  of  learned  men  to  do  the  work,  what  is 
now   known   as    the    King   James    version    appeared 


l5 
in  1611,  and  from  its  great  excellence  soon  super- 
seded all  others.  It  was  translated  from  the  orig- 
inal Greek,  and  has  continued  to  be  the  standard  Bi- 
ble of  the  English-speaking  world  until  practically 
the  present  time.  Aside  from  changes  in  the  mean- 
ing of  a  few  English  words  in  the  three  hundred 
years  since  it  was  made,  and  a  few  other  points,  it 
remains  practically  accurate  to-day,  and  no  one  need 
hesitate  to  guide  his  life  by  its  precepts.  But  the 
great  increase  in  the  number  of  copies  of  the  orig- 
inal Greek  (as  already  noted),  the  change  of  mean- 
ing in  a  few  English  words,  and  some  other  con- 
siderations of  accuracy  in  detail,  etc.,  under  the 
guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  as  we  believe,  led  a 
large  company  of  Christian  scholars  in  England 
and  America  to  undertake  the  very  laborious  task 
of  making  a  new  translation  from  the  originals;  and 
in  1885  what  is  known  as  the  English  Revised  Ver- 
sion was  issued  at  Oxford.  In  1901  the  American 
part  of  this  committee,  after  great  intervening  study, 
issued  what  is  known  as  the  American  Standard 
edition  of  this  latter  work,  with  some  improvements 
adapting  it  more  closely  to  the  American  use  of 
language,  etc.  This  may  probably  be  called  the 
climax,  thus  far,  of  rendering  the  thought  of  the 
originals  into  English;  and  it  is  recommended  to  every 
reader  of  these  words.  The  quotations  from  the 
Bible  in  this  work  are  from  that  edition.  If  this 
edition  of  the  Bible  cannot  be  had  near  at  hand, 
Thomas  Nelson  &  Sons,  New  York  City,  will  mail 
a  copy  about  the  size  of  this  page  for  45  cents ;  or 
better  styles  in  proportion. 

The  most  striking  fact,  perhaps,  which  will  be 
noted  in  comparing  the  King  James  and  the  latest 
translation,  will  be  the  fewness  of  the  changes  made. 
Though  the  number  of  manuscripts  now  'known  is 
probably  three  or  four  times  as  many  as  the  trans- 
lators of  the  1611  version  possessed,  and  though 
neither  of  the  three  earliest  and  best  copies,  (Sinai- 
ti'cus,  Vaticanus  and  Alexandrinus)  had  then  been 
discovered  at  all,  the  "King  James'  version  was 
made  so  correct  that  not  a  single  important  doctrine 
is  changed  by  the  revisions !  Indeed,  if  one  is  not 
quite  familiar  with  the  older  version  he  will  hardly 
notice  any  changes  at  all,  without  great  care.     Such 


accuracy  in  1611,  amid  all  the  difficulties  suggested, 
would   seem   impossible   without   special   Divine   aid. 
The   character   of   the   changes   made  by  the    Re- 
visions should  perhaps  be  noted  briefly  here: 

1.  Changing  English  words  whose  meaning  has 
altered  since  the  translation  of  161 1  was  made.  For 
instance,  "let"  (see  II.  Thess.  2-j,  etc.)  in  1611  meant 
to  "hinder,"  but  now  means  to  "permit";  hence  the 
revision  rightly  changes  it  to  "restraineth."  Likewise 
"prevent"  in  various  passages  (see  Ps.  88:13,  etc.,) 
formerly  meant  and  is  now  given  as  "come  before"; 
"carriages"  (Acts  21:15,  etc.,)  meant  and  is  changed 
to  "baggage";  and  so  on. 

2.  Replacing  words  like  "wot,"  "wist,"  "hale," 
etc.,  which  have  passed  out  of  use,  by  their  present 
equivalents;  as  "know,"  "drag,"  etc.  (Acts  3:17, 
Mk.  o;6,  Luke  12:58,  etc.)  "Which"  is  often  re- 
placed by  "who"  or  "that,"  as  more  correct  modern 
usage. 

3.  The  progress  of  Bible  study  and  knowledge 
of  Hebrew  and  Greek  has  led  to  distinctions  between 
the  words  which  refer  to  the  intermediate  state  of 
souls  between  death  and  the  Judgment,  as  "Sheol" 
and  "Hades,"  and  those  meaning  the  final  "hell," 
which  word  is  often  used  for  both  in  the  earlier 
version;  also  between  the  demons  with  which  people 
were  possessed  and  the  one  Devil. 

It  is  perfectly  clear  to  any  one  who  knows  the 
Hebrew  or  Greek  in  which  the  Bible  was  written, 
that  the  utmost  possible  pains  have  been  taken  to 
carry  the  thought  of  the  originals  over  into  the 
English  with  absolute  exactness.  Every  person  who 
knows  more  than  one  language  also  understands 
that  it  is  not  possible  to  carry  over  all  the  delicate 
shades  of  meaning  from  any  language  into  another; 
language  is  not  omnipotent.  Practical  accuracy  is 
all  that  we  expect  in  other  attempts,  or  should  look 
for  in  this;  and  this  is  enough  for  any  honest  soul. 
The  other  shades  of  meaning  can  be  found  by  stu- 
dents in  the  original  tongues,  or  by  others  in  the 
various  commentaries  and  other  works  for  the  pur- 
pose. It  may  safely  be  said  that  no  other  book 
in  existence  has  had  the  hundredth  part  of  the 
conscientious,  prayerful  errort  put  upon  it  for  an 
exact  translation  that  has  been  expended   upon   the 


i7 
Bible.  No  one  need  hesitate  to  accept  either  the 
common  "King  James'  "  version  or  the  Revised  as 
the  guide  of  his  life  from  earth  to  heaven.  It  is 
God's  Word  in  English,  in  either  case;  though  the 
latter  is  a  little  more  accurate,  in  some  points. 

The  very  great  harm  which  may  be  done  by 
such  expressions  as  that  in  the  Mormon  "Articles 
of  Faith,"  which  avers  belief  in  the  Bible  as  the 
Word  of  God  only  "so  far  as  it  is  translated  cor- 
rectly," is  evident.  This  clearly  intimates  that  the 
Word  of  God  is  not  translated  correctly,  and  thus 
implies  that  it  is  not  to  be  believed  fully;  and  after 
very  wide  acquaintance  among  the  Mormon  people 
we  find  this  to  be  the  general  attitude  towards  the 
Word,  though  with  numbers  of  exceptions.  We 
have  seen  that  there  is  absolutely  no  foundation 
for  such  an  implication;  and  its  effect  is  to  weaken 
faith  in  the  Bible,  and  no  doubt  in  many  cases  to 
practically  destroy  it.  Instead  of  doing  this,  we 
certainly  should  guard  most  carefully  and  seek  by 
every  true  means  to  increase  faith  in  the  Word. 
It  is  most  truly  the  WORD  OF  GOD,  as  we  have 
it  in  English;  and  God  holds  every  soul  responsible, 
not  only  for  accepting  it  as  such,  but  for  studying 
it  carefully,  keeping  in  close  touch  with  it,  and  mak- 
ing it  the  "man  of  his  counsel"  through  life!  Let 
us  beware  of  detracting  in  the  least  from  the  true 
estimate  in  which  it  should  be  held  in  every  soul! 

— <©* 

IV.    THE  DUTY  AND  PRIVILEGE  OF 
USING  THE  BIBLE, 

The  whole  plan  of  God  in  sending  his  written 
Word  is  blocked  for  us  if  we  do  not  use  it  care- 
fully. All  the  miracle  of  3,400  years  by  which  it 
has  come  to  us  is  rendered  nearly  void  to  such  a 
soul.  He  gets  some  good  from  the  Word  because 
he  cannot  help  it,  through  its  influence  upon  his 
neighbors  and  the  world,  of  course;  but  as  an 
umbrella  will  keep  off  most  of  the  rain  from  his 
body,  so  his  unwillingness  to  use  the  Bible  will  keep 
the  most  of  God's  blessings  through  it  from  his 
parched  and  perhaps  rebellious  soul.  There  is  no 
substitute  for  the  Word.  No  other  book,  no  other 
aid  of  any  kind  whatever,  can  do  for  the  soul  what 


i8 

God  gave  this  Book  to  do.  Even  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  spoken  of  in  the  Word  as  if  even  He  limited 
himself  in  his  work  for  men  chiefly  to  communica- 
tion through  this  Book;  as  in  Eph.  6:17,  "the  sword 
of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God ;"  and 
Heb.  4:12  "For  the  word  of  God  is  living,  and  active, 
and  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword."  Also 
Rev.  2:16,  17,  and  19:15.  Hence  the  man  who  re- 
fuses or  even  fails  to  read  this  Word  refuses  or 
fails  to  receive  the  chief  means  through  which 
the  Holy  Spirit  can  reach  him,  and  need  expect  but 
little  if  any  spiritual  blessing  from  Him.  Such  a 
person  is  grieving  the  Blessed  One,  as  well  as  shut- 
ting the  light  out  of  his  own  soul,  and  also  from 
those  who  might  in  turn  be  helped  by  him.  The 
Bible  is  the  source  of  practically  all  the  light  and 
truth  we  have  on  religious  subjects.  It  brings  to 
man  his  highest  stimulus  of  intellect  and  soul,  the 
highest  and  noblest  thoughts,  the  greatest  and  pur- 
est motives,  and  spurs  him  to  the  very  best  action 
of  which  he  is  capable.  It  instructs  him  in  every 
department  of  life — home,  business,  state  and  church 
alike;  and,  more  than  all  else,  in  the  relations  of 
his  own  soul  to  God  and  the  future  world  to  which 
he  is  hastening.  Nowhere  else  can  he  find  the  cor- 
rect standard  of  morality;  nowhere  else  will  he 
learn  of  the  power  to  live  up  to  that  standard;  and 
only  through  embracing  these  truths  will  he  be 
likely  to  care  much  whether  he  is  moral  or  not,  be- 
yond the  requirements  of  common  public  decency. 

All  these  blessings  and  more  will  come  to  any 
soul  who  faithfully  and  honestly  and  prayerfully 
uses  this  wonderful  Word  of  God.  And  no  other 
person  can  possibly  get  these  things,  except  in 
lesser  measure  and  at  second  hand  through  those 
who  do  get  them  from  the  Word.  The  Bible  is 
thus,  under  God,  at  once  the  foundation  and  key- 
stone of  all  that  is  highest  and  best  in  human  char- 
acter and  achievement.  He  who  ignores  it  throws 
away  his  Dest  chance  for  time  and  eternity.  He 
who  despises  it  despises  at  once  his  own  future, 
the  welfare  of  his  kind,  and  the  God  who  made  both 
these  and  his  Revelation.  Not  only  the  inspired 
Psalmist  of  old,  but  the  great  and  good  of  all  ages 
unite   in   saying  "Thy  Word   is   a   lamp   unto   my   feet, 


19 

and  a  light  unto  my  path  (Ps.  119:105),  and  that 
when  "men  spake  from  God,  being  moved  by  the 
Holy  Spirit"  their  words  are  worthy  of  the  most 
profound  attention,  and  are  essential  to  the  wel- 
fare of  every  human  soul. 

— *S* 

How  to  Use  the  Word  of  God. 
There  are  many  ways  to  use  the  Bible,  of  which 
some  are  good,  some  indifferent,  some  bad,  and  some 
positively  wicked.  In  the  last  two  classes  we  must 
place  the  too-frequent  use  of  the  Bible  as  merely  a 
hunting-ground  for  seeming  proof-texts  in  support 
of  doctrines  clearly  opposed  to  the  general  teach- 
ing of  the  Word,  and  the  ignorant  or  malicious 
twisting  of  passages  for  a  similar  purpose;  of  which 
the  Bible  itself  speaks  in  2  Peter  3:16. — ''Which  the 
ignorant  and  unsteadfast  wrest,  as  they  do  also  the 
other  Scriptures,  unto  their  own  destruction."  Many 
a  soul  has  been  wrecked  eternally  upon  such  a 
twisting  of  the  Word,  and  many  another  has  ruined 
itself  by  so  treating  the  Truth.  The  greatest  re- 
ligious errors  of  all  time  in  Christian  lands  have 
always  been  backed  by  thus  wresting  the  Word  of 
God,  till  it  seemingly  taught  the  very  opposite  of 
what  every  Christian  student  knew  was  really  in  it. 
Sometimes  the  remark  is  made,  in  either  derision 
or  doubt,  "O,  you  can  prove  anything  from  the 
Bible."  Not  at  all  by  any  fair,  honest  use  of  it. 
By  twisting  its  holy  statements,  yes;  just  as  can  be 
done  with  any  other  book  of  equal  size  and  scope. 
By  fair  use,  not  one  error  can  be  proved  from  the 
Book  of  truth;  to  believe  otherwise  is  to  make  God 
a  liar.  The  use  which  one  makes  of  his  Bible, 
as  of  everything  else  which  is  good,  determines 
whether  it  shall  be  a  blessing  or  curse  to  him.  As 
a  bad  stomach  may  make  poison  out  of  the  best 
food,  so  a  bad  heart  or  perverted  or  even  uninform- 
ed mind  may  make  God's  word  seem  to  teach  that 
which  is  most  poisonous  to  his  whole  spiritual 
nature.  The  question  to  which  we  are  now  come 
is  of  exceeding  importance ;  Hoiv  can  we  be  sure 
to  get  the  truth  instead  of  error  from  the  sacred 
Word?     Are  there  rules  to  guide  us  safely? 

The  experience  of  all   the  ages  during  which  the 
Spirit   of  God  has  been  leading  his  people   into  all 


20 

truth  through  the  Word  answers  an  emphatic  YES!! 
to  both  of  these  questions.  The  following  rules 
will  be  found  very  effective,  if  properly  used: 


I.    As  to  the  Spirit  in  which  the  Word  must  be  Studied. 

(i)  Always  use  the  Bible  in  the  spirit  of  abso- 
lute fairness  and  readiness  to  receive  every  truth 
which  is  found — with  determination  beforehand  to 
do  this  as  soon  as  the  truth  is  clearly  seen.  Some- 
times this  is  very  difficult;  but  it  is  essential.  Preju- 
dice, or  unwillingness  to  receive  any  message  what- 
ever which  God  may  send  through  the  Word,  makes 
it  impossible  for  the  reader  to  get  a  clear  view  of  the 
truth  which  God  would  present  to  him;  just  as  look- 
ing through  a  twisted,  dirty  or  colored  pane  of  glass 
distorts  the  beauties  of  nature  outside,  perhaps  even 
into  repulsiveness;  thus  many  a  soul  has  rejected  a 
mighty  truth  of  God  in  the  Word  just  because  he 
had  been  saturated  with  distorting  prejudice  against 
it  beforehand,  which  he  failed  to  throw  off  when 
he  came  to  study  the  Message  for  himself.  Many 
an  error  is  adhered  to  with  a  stubborn  determination 
to  believe  nothing  else — a  spirit  which  is  really  re- 
bellion against  God,  and  is  as  fatal  to  any  true  use 
of  the  Bible  as  to  any  real  growth  of  soul  and 
grasp  of  Truth.  Such  a  spirit  will  reject  without 
real  investigation  anything  which  seems  contrary 
to  his  present  beliefs,  no  matter  how  much  weight 
of  scholarship  or  piety  or  Scripture  it  may  carry. 
Stubbornness  draws  shutters  over  the  windows  of 
the  soul,  so  that  little  light  can  enter.  It  also  drives 
away  the  Holy  Spirit.  Such  a  course  is  not  only 
rebellion  against  God  and  his  Word,  but  mental 
and  moral  suicide  as  well.  If  we  keep  the  windows 
of  the  soul  open  towards  heaven,  God  can  speak 
to  us  through  his  Word;  otherwise  his  Revelation 
is  largely  shut  out. 

(2)  One  must  also  use  the  Bible  in  the  spirit 
of  humble  prayer  fulness,  asking  God  to  help  him 
see  and  understand  the  truth  which  He  has  placed 
therein.  We  have  no  right  to  expect  Him  to  give 
us  truth  otherwise  which  we  can  get  from  the  Word 
ourselves  with  proper  effort ;  to  pray  such  a  prayer 
is  but  to  invite  Satan  to  reply,  since  God  will  not 


help  laziness,  and  is  thus  to  run  the  awful  risk  of  hav- 
ing minds  misled  into  fatal  error  instead  of  reaching 
the  truth.  There  is  no  test  of  what  is  true  or  false 
like  the  Word  of  the  God  of  Truth,  properly  stud- 
ied, with  a  clear  mind  and  with  the  Spirit's  aid. 
But  we  do  need  such  aid;  in  keeping  the  mind  clear, 
in  helping  one  to  find  all  the  various  phases  of  the 
truth  so  as  to  have  a  full,  roundecl  view  of  it,  in 
preserving  from  the  blinding,  distorting  influences  of 
the  Evil  One,  in  keeping  one  persistent  and  fair  in 
seeking  to  know  His  will,  and  in  every  other  way 
which  may  be  necessary  in  order  to  get  at  the 
real  message  of  God  to  the  individual's  soul.  He 
who  thinks  to  get  the  truth  in  a  spirit  of  self-suffi- 
ciency will  find  his  pride  used  of  the  Evil  One  to  lead 
him  blindly  into  error,  where  prayerful  humility 
would  have  revealed  glorious  truth.  The  Holy  Spir- 
it is  promised  to  guide  God's  true,  saved  children 
"into  all  the  truth"  (John  16:13);  and  He  will  surely 
open  the  way  if  we  are  ready  faithfully  to  follow 
His  leading. 

(3)  We  must  use  the  Bible  with  absolute  honesty, 
We  must  not  dodge  the  truth  when  it  hits  our  own 
beliefs  or  practices,  no  matter  how  severely.  Rath- 
er let  us  welcome  its  hardest  blows,  and  instantly 
take  sides  with  God  against  the  errors  He  has  thus 
shown  us.  Since  no  one  is  perfect,  Bible  study 
which  does  not  show  a  person  at  least  some  errors  in 
his  belief  or  life  is  not  likely  to  be  true  study,  but 
is  at  fault  in  some  way.  We  must  be  absolutely 
seekers  after  the  truth  of  God,  for  the  very  purpose 
of  putting  it  in  practice. 

Nor  must  we  study  the  Bible  for  the  mere  pur- 
pose of  finding  proof-texts  for  a  doctrine,  except  as 
we  shall  find  the  whole  Scriptures  supporting  that 
view.  Still  less  can  any  one  knowingly  twist  its 
passages  to  make  them  seem  to  prove  his  point. 
This  is  absolute,  unquestionable,  wicked  falsification, 
in  one  of  the  worst  forms  which  it  can  possibly 
take. 

(4)  We  must  use  it  in  a  broad  instead  of  a  nar- 
row spirit.  All  the  truth  is  not  in  any  one  man's 
mind;  there  is  plenty  more  for  everybody.  Espec- 
ially is  it  true  that  persons  who  have  not  had  op- 
portunities   for    investigating    more    than    one    view 


22 

of  a  given  subject,  and  who  know  that  the  honest, 
Christian  people  of  the  world  in  general  hold  a 
different  view,  should  be  very  careful  to  maintain 
this  breadth  of  feeling  and  study.  Otherwise  prej- 
udice will  be  blinding  them  to  real  truth  and  keep- 
ing them  in  error.  It  is  not  for  the  interest  of  any 
soul  to  hold  to  any  error,  no  matter  how  strongly 
he  may  have  been  trained  to  believe  it.  If  millions  of 
people,  the  equal  of  others,  to  say  the  least,  in  scholar- 
ship, ability,  piety  and  everything  else  which  enables 
one  to  judge  of  truth,  hold  to  a  certain  belief  as  clearly 
taught  in  the  Bible  and  reason,  the  probabilities 
are  a  thousand  to  one  that  their  view  is  the  real 
truth  of  the  Word.  If  the  same  view  has  been  held 
for  hundreds  or  thousands  of  years,  by  people  in 
all  conditions  and  circumstances  which  are  helpful 
in  determining  the  truth,  the  probability  that  their 
view  is  the  right  one  passes  almost  beyond  the  pos- 
sibility of  doubt.  This  is  the  case  with  all  the 
fundamentals  of  Christian  truth.  The  chief  views 
set  forth  in  this  booklet  are  those  which  have  thus 
stood  the  test  of  time  and  experience  and  the  most 
intense  and  scholarly  study  of  the  Bible  among 
God's  children.  If  one  finds  himself  at  variance 
with  such  views,  he  should  remember  that  the  prob- 
abilities are  exceedingly  strong  that  he  has  himself 
not  yet  found  the  real  truth  upon  these  points,  how- 
ever sincerely  he  may  hold  his  present  views.  With 
broad,  humble  and  prayerful  spirit  he  should  most 
carefully  investigate  the  whole  subject.  God  him- 
self will  never  force  a  soul  to  see  the  truth  in  his 
Word.  If  he  is  open-hearted,  and  will  investigate 
honestly  and  earnestly,  he  will  find  all  essential 
truth  in  time;  but  there  is  little  light  for  the  man 
who  keeps  his  eyes  shut. 

II.    As  to  the  Methods  Necessary  in  Using  the  Word. 

(i)  Read  It  Daily.  Nine-tenths  of  the  troubles 
people  have  with  the  Bible  arise  from  their  actual 
ignorance  of  the  Word  itself.  A  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  this  wonderful  book  enables  it  to  explain 
itself  remarkably,  if  the  reader  has  reasonable  com- 
mon-sense and  education.  One  cannot  get  into  the 
atmosphere  of  the  Bible,  so  that  he  really  catches 
its  spirit  and  meaning,  unless  he  makes  it  his  com- 


23 

panion  day  by  day.  David  said  in  Ps.  119.97,  "Oh, 
how  love  I  thy  law !  It  is  my  meditation  all  the 
day."  Intimate  acquaintance  is  necessary  before 
we  can  understand  a  friend  or  a  school-book;  how 
much  more  the  mighty  Word  of  God!  Yet  many 
who  have  hardly  even  dabbled  in  it  presume  to  think 
that  they  understand  the  deepest  things  of  God, 
and  to  try  to  instruct  others.  A  boy  who  should 
expect  to  understand  his  arithmetic  by  dabbling  in  it 
a  little  once  a  week  or  month  would  not  be  permit- 
ted even  to  stay  in  school.  If  after  a  few  months 
of  such  make-believe  "study''  he  should  begin  to  sug- 
gest improvements  in  the  text-books,  he  would  close- 
ly resemble  most  critics  of  the  Bible.  He  who  gets 
at  the  thought  of  the  Word  closely  and  thoroughly 
in  the  spirit  already  noted,  will  find  that,  instead 
of  being  a  book  full  of  difficulties,  the  words  of  the 
old  hymn  by  the  poet  Cowper  about  it  are  wonder- 
fully and  sweetly  true: 

The   Spirit  breathes  upon  the  Word, 

And    brings    the    truth    to    sight ; 
Precepts    and   promises   afford 

A   sanctifying   light. 

A    glory    gilds    the    sacred    page 

Majestic,    like   the   sun ; 
It    gives    a    light    to    every    age, 

It   gives,    but   borrows   none. 

Every  human  being  needs  this  aid  every  day  of 
life,  in  some  form  or  other.  The  soul  needs  food  as 
well  as  the  body;  and  the  Truth  of  God  in  the  Word 
is  his  chief  supply,  together  with  personal  com- 
munion with  God  in  prayer.  Christ  said,  "I  am  the 
Bread  of  life."  (John  6:35,  47,  48.)  The  soul  that 
studies  the  life  and  words  of  the  blessed  Master 
in  the  Word,  with  the  true  spirit  of  absolute  surren- 
der and  love  to  Him,  will  find  himself  growing  into 
relations  with  Christ  which  will  enable  Him  to  dwell 
in  the  student's  soul,  and  to  be  more  of  strength 
and  life  to  him  than  ever  food  was  to  his  body. 
The  very  heart  of  real  Christianity  is  here — not 
in  any  mere  outward  deeds,  but  in  securing  this 
inner  life.  Christ  came,  not  merely  to  show  us 
certain  facts  or  doctrines  composing  an  outward 
form  of  religion  or  of  religiousness.  He  came  to 
create  true  spiritual  life  within.  The  genuine  re- 
ligion is  this  inner  life,  not  the  mere  outward  form 
or   deeds.     These   will   follow   if   the   life  be   within; 


24 

but  Christ  alone  can  create  that,  or  sustain  it, 
through  the  Word.  And  daily  food  from  Him, 
through  reading  at  least  some  of  the  Word  every- 
day and  communion  in  prayer,  are  necessary  to 
keeping  this  life  at  its  proper  state. 

People  often  object  to  this,  saying,  "I  have  not 
time  to  read  the  Bible  every  day."  But  it  does  not 
seem  probable  to  the  writer  that  one  soul  will  dare 
to  make  that  excuse  to  God  in  the  Day  of  Judg- 
ment. He  has  given  us  twenty-four  hours  in  every 
day,  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  getting  ready  for 
the  life  beyond;  and  any  well  person  can  get  at 
least  some  chance  to  read  his  Word  every  day,  if 
he  will.  Is  there  time  for  everything  else,  and  none 
to  read  that  blessed  Letter  which  he  has  given  by 
one  miracle  of  grace  and  has  preserved  by  another 
for  these  3,400  years?  If  the  husband  absent  from 
home  should  not  read  the  good  wife's  loving  letters, 
on  whatever  plea  short  of  incapacitating  illness,  how 
justly  grieved  would  she  feel?  And  is  God  less 
jealous  of  the  love  and  respect  due  to  Him,  the 
"High  and  lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  eternity,"  (Isa. 
57:15)  and  is  he  not  very  jealous  also  for  the  wel- 
fare of  our  souls,  to  which  his  Book  is  necessary? 
The  writer  has  heard  of  the  busy  housewife  bracing 
her  Testament  up  at  the  back  of  her  kitchen  table 
to  catch  a  verse  now  and  then  as  she  washed  her 
dishes  or  made  the  bread.  He  knows  a  devoted 
missionary  who  was  converted  while  working  on  a 
farm;  getting  up  at  perhaps  four  in  the  morning 
and  working  till  nine  at  night,  with  no  time  his  own 
between.  So  he  carried  a  little  Testament  in  his 
hip  pocket,  and  as  he  walked  behind  the  plow  would 
hold  it  on  the  plow-handle  so  as  to  catch  a  verse 
now  and  then.  His  circumstances  were  very  un- 
fortunate for  Christian  growth  and  life;  but  by  thus 
feeding  on  the  Word  and  on  Christ  he  grew  in 
grace,  and  has  now  for  years  been  a  faithful  worker 
in  saving  other  souls.  Many  a  Christian  has  dwin- 
dled into  ineffectiveness  instead  of  growing  into  a 
strong  character,  just  because  he  neglected  the  daily 
use  of  the  Word.  Hence,  on  whatever  other  plan 
we  may  study  the  Bible,  let  the  fact  of  its  daily 
use  be  settled  at  once  beyond  recall.  Even  ten  min- 
utes  at   some   regular   time,    settled   so   that   it  will 


25 

not  be  forgotten,  will  be  vastly  better  than  nothing. 
Reader,  will  you  not  decide  to  do  this,  by  the  help  of 
God? 

(2)  Read  It  Devotionally.  The  greatest  purpose 
of  God  in  giving  us  his  Word  is  to  draw  us  nearer 
Himself.  No  one  who  reads  in  a  merely  intellec- 
tual or  argumentative  way  will  secure  this  result. 
A  Bible  which  is  chiefly  a  hunting-ground  for  proof- 
texts  will  yield  little  spiritual  food  or  blessing;  that 
is  not  what  the  hunter  is  looking  for.  He  may  ac- 
cumulate a  whole  armory  of  text  weapons,  twisted 
or  otherwise,  with  which  to  defend  his  pet  theory; 
but  he  may  also  kill  his  own  soul  of  starvation 
amongst  them.  The  very  verses  which  he  uses  as 
weapons  might  be  the  richest  and  sweetest  spiritual 
food,  if  he  would  let  them  be  so ;  but  no,  his  quest  is  for 
weapons,  not  for  soul-food.  And  so  his  spiritual  life 
dwindles  and  perhaps  dies  in  his  very  armory. 

How  differently  the  Psalmist  used  the  small  por- 
tion of  the  Word  which  he  possessed!  He  says 
in  the  119th  Psalm, 

O,  how  love  I  thy  law!     It  is  mv  meditation  all  the  day — (verse 

97.) 
How    sweet    are    thy    words    unto   my    taste !    yea,    sweeter    than 

honey    to    my   mouth ! 
Through    thy    precepts    I    get    understanding ;    therefore    I    hate 

every    false    way. 
Thy   word   is   a  lamp   unto   my   feet,    and        light   unto   my   path. 

(verses   103-105,  etc.) 

Such  God's  true,  spiritually-minded  children  have 
always  found  the  Bible  to  be,  if  they  used  it  properly. 

As  to  method  in  the  devotional  reading  of  the  Word, 
one  should  seek  to  get  at  the  real,  inner  meaning  of 
each  sentence ;  to  grasp  each  spiritual  truth,  thinking 
it  out  as  clearly  as  he  can  and  applying  it  to  himself 
faithfully.  He  should  read  with  the  earnest  desire  that 
God  would  give  him  something  for  his  soul,  and  with 
grateful  love  to  Him  for  the  Word.  Reading  must  be 
done  slowly  enough  to  let  it  make  its  due  impression ; 
mere  skimming  over  the  surface  cannot  bless  the  soul 
with  the  truth  which  lies  beneath;  the  cream  of  the 
Word  generally  lies  near  the  bottom.  Often  it  is  a 
great  blessing  to  take  a  chapter  and  read  till  one  finds 
a  verse  or  more  which  seems  just  to  fit  into  his  present 
need ;  then  stop  and  think — turn  it  over  and  over  so 
as  to  get  all  the  thought  and  blessing  which  it  has  to 
convey  at  that  time  by  the  Spirit;  then  have  a  season 


26 

of  prayer  all  alone  with  God,  or  read  on  to  another 
like  passage  if  that  seems  best.  Even  that  same  verse, 
if  taken  up  another  day,  will  perhaps  yield  more  sweets 
of  truth  and  life;  the  Bible  is  the  most  wonderful  book 
in  the  world  in  this  respect.  And  years  afterwards  it 
may  have  still  another  message  of  good — the  same 
verse,  but  in  a  new  light  from  experience  and  the 
Spirit.  The  person  who  keeps  up  this  habit  of  devo- 
tional reading  in  the  Bible  is  the  one  who  finds  it  most 
precious,  and  who  will  grow  in  grace  the  most  rapidly 
and   thoroughly. 

(3)  Read  It  Broadly — The  Whole  Word.  Espec- 
ially, one  should  not  take  a  little  of  the  Bible  here  or 
there  on  a  subject  and  treat  it  as  if  it  was  the  whole  of 
the  teaching  on  that  subject.  The  selected  passages 
further  on  in  this  booklet  will  be  a  great  aid  to  this 
thorough  study.  And  the  meaning  of  most  passages  in 
any  volume  depends  largely  on  the  general  thought 
which  is  being  expressed  in  the  whole  chapter  or  book, 
and  especially  in  the  portions  near  the  one  in  hand — 
such  neighboring  passages  being  called  the  "context." 
Thus  under  this  head  of  studying  broadly  the  most 
important  suggestion,  which  should  always  be  borne  in 
mind,  is  that  one  should 

(a)  Study  the  Bible  by  context.  This  means  study- 
ing not  only  the  particular  verse  which  one  may  have 
before  him,  but  those  near  by  or  elsewhere  which 
throw  light  upon  it.\  Sometimes  one  needs  to  read  a 
whole  chapter,  or  even  more,  to  get  the  line  of  thought 
affecting  the  meaning  of  the  one  verse.  Often  the  read- 
er should  look  up  the  marginal  references  to  similar 
passages  elsewhere  in  the  Word — and  will  find  it  of 
greatest  interest  to  do  so.*  The  utmost  mischief  is 
sometimes  done  by  disregarding  this     most  important, 

*Hozv  to  use  Marginal  References.  In  a  reference  Bi- 
ble one  will  notice  very  small  letters  before  certain  words  as  he 
reads;  and  in  the  margin  (either  at  the  edge  or  in  the  center 
of  the  page)  the  same  letters  will  be  found,  each  about  opposite 
to  the  corresponding  ones  in  the  large  type  reading.  Follow- 
ing these  marginal  letters  references  will  be  found,  giving 
chapter  and  verse  of  other  places  in  the  Bible  where  about 
the  same  point  is  spoken  of;  and  when  these  other  passages 
are  found  there  will  sometimes  be  still  other  references  from 
them,  so  that  by  following  these  out  a  large  number  of 
passages  on  similar  subjects  may  be  discovered.  This  is  one 
of  the  most  profitable  ways  to  find  out  what  the  Bible  really 
teaches.  Reference  Bibles  may  be  had  in  plain  bindings  for 
about  fifty  cents  at  many  stores ;  or  in  better  bindings  up  to 
several   dollars. 


27 

simple  rule  of  studying  the  context.  To  illustrate  :  in 
I.  Corinthians  8:  if  we  should  take  all  but  the  first  two 
words  of  verse  5,  without  reference  to  the  verse  before 
or  after,  or  to  the  teaching  of  all  the  rest  of  the  Bible 
on  the  same  point,  we  might  perhaps  honestly  under- 
stand it  as  teaching  that  there  are  many  true  Gods.  But 
when  we  read  the  verse  before,  we  find  Paul  giving  the 
most  definite  and  emphatic  statement  possible  to  the 
contrary  of  this  supposed  teaching  of  verse  5,  in  the 
statement  that  "there  is  xo  God  but  oxe  ;'"'  and  in  the 
very  next  verse  following  the  fifth  he  states  that  to  the 
Christians  to  whom  he  wrote  and  whom  he  had  former- 
ly instructed  in  the  Christian  faith,  there  was  only  one 
God.  Then  as  we  read  the  verses  beginning  the  chapter 
we  see  that  Paul  is  talking  about  the  worship  of  the 
idols  of  which  that  pagan  city  was  full,  and  it  becomes 
as  clear  as  possible  that  St.  Paul  in  verse  5  refers  en- 
tirely to  these  false  gods,  or  idols,  including  the  sun 
and  stars  which  they  also  worshipped,  and  to  their  hu- 
man rulers.  If  then  we  examine  the  teaching  of  the  rest 
of  the  Bible  about  God,  we  find  it  most  emphatic 
throughout  in  declaring  that  there  is  ONLY  OXE  GOD 
in  the  whole  universe.  Thus  verse  5  is  seen  to  be  only  a 
part  of  the  teaching  that  there  is  only  one  God,  instead 
of  the  opposite.  Thus  in  many  cases.  The  use  of  a 
single  verse,  without  its  context  or  the  rest  of  the  Bible, 
may  lead  us  into  the  grossest  and  most  harmful  errors. 
Almost  every  faise  doctrine  ever  held  in  Christian  lands 
has  either  begun  or  has  been  supported  by  just  such 
false  and  entirely  unjust  use  of  the  Word,  making  God 
teach  just  the  opposite  of  what  He  really  does  teach  in 
the  Bible.  The  chief  safety  against  such  mistakes  lies 
in  thus  getting  all  the  light  possible  on  every  passage 
regarded  as  important.  This  leads  us  to  another  consid- 
eration: 

(b)  Study  it  by  subiect.  This  is  one  of  the  most 
helpful  ways  of  using  the  Bible,  and  also  one  of  the 
most  interesting.  It  is  the  only  way  in  which  one  can 
get  the  whole  truth  on  any  subject  from  the  Book.  In 
doing  it  some  helps  to  study  are  almost  indispensable; 
if  po^sible  such  as  give  the  chief  passages  on  each  im- 
portant subject  printed  out  together  in  full.  There  are 
several  very  good  helps  of  this  class,  which  are  describ- 
ed under  the  topic  of  "Helps  in  Using  the  Bible."  on 
page    47-        But   if  one   cannot   secure   anything  but   a 


28 

reference  Bible,  its  careful  use  as  already  described  in 
the  foot-note  will  be  of  intense  interest  and  great 
value.  These  Bibles  can  be  had  at  many  book  stores, 
very  cheap  if  desired,  or  in  expensive  bindings. 
Pages  47  to  86  this  booklet  will  also  be  found  to  contain 
the  most  helpful  and  important  texts  on  the  subjecrs 
which  are  deemed  of  greatest  importance  in  this  con- 
nection. The  careful  and  prayerful  study  of  these 
passages  with  their  context  in  the  Bible,  is  most  ear- 
nestly   recommended. 

This  study  by  subjects,  properly  followed  up,  will  give 
a  competent  person  knowledge  of  all  the  great  teach- 
ings of  the  Bible.  Perhaps  the  best  way  is  to  take  up 
some  subject  which  may  occur  in  daily  conversation  or 
reading  and  study  it  through ;  and  then  take  another. 
It  would  be  a  good  practice  to  note  down  the  results 
in  a  book  kept  for  the  purpose. 

(c)  Study  by  Books.  Taking  up  a  single  book  of 
the  Bible  and  reading  it  through  as  if  it  were  a  story — 
if  possible  at  one  sitting — is  sometimes  a  very  helpful 
and  interesting  way  to  do.  It  enables  one  to  catch  the 
spirit  and  thought  of  the  book  as  a  whole,  as  no  other 
method  is  likely  to  do.  Detailed  study  of  it  may  well 
follow,  using  such  helps  as  may  be  at  hand. 

(d)  Hozv  to  Get  the  Meaning  of  Difficult  Passages. 
Any  book  dealing  thoroughly  with  deep  subjects  will 

naturally  have  passages  difficult  to  understand.  Some 
rules  may  be  helpful  in  understanding  the  difficult  pas- 
sages of  the  Bible. 

(a)  Be  sure  that  the  meaning  of  the  important 
words  is  correctly  in  mind.  Many  a  difficulty  arises 
here.  Often  a  dictionary  will  settle  a  difficulty.  It  is 
also  well  to  compare  the  use  of  words  in  other  passages 
of  the  Bible,  by  means  of  the  references. 

(b)  Remember  that  God  never  contradicts  Himself, 
or  says  things  which  are  not  reasonable ;  and  that  thus 
any  difficulty  must  really  be  in  the  reader  himself;  and 
that  prayerful  and  wise  study  and  inquiry  to.  find  out 
God's  real  meaning  is  all  that  is  necessary. 

(c)  Remember  that  the  Bible  often  speaks  in  imag- 
ery or  figure  rather  than  in  bald  statements  of  fact, 
such  as  are  common  with  us.  It  was  first  addressed 
to  Oriental  people,  who  usually  speak  in  a  figurative 
rather  than  a  literal  style.  Hence  many  of  its  passages 
were    meant    to    be    taken    as    illustrations    of   a    truth 


29 

rather  than  literal  statements  of  the  truth  itself.  People 
often  speak  of  "taking  the  Bible  just  as  it  reads,"  mean- 
ing literally,  and  implying  that  any  other  way  of  using 
it  is  twisting  it  for  a  purpose.  This  position  may  be 
itself  the  worst  kind  of  misuse  of  the  Word.  Nearly  all 
spiritual  things  must  be  presented  by  material  figures. 
Sometimes  it  is  difficult  to  tell  whether  a  passage  is 
literal  or  illustrative.  There  is  no  set  rule  to  decide  by ; 
but  broad  common-sense,  with  God's  blessing  and  a 
wide  view  of  the  facts,  will  be  quite  likely  to  set  one 
right.     A  few  suggestions  may  be  helpful,  however. 

Definite,  point-blank  statements,  in  harmony  with  the 
general  teaching  of  the  Word,  must  be  taken  literally. 
The  great  bulk  of  the  Bible  at  least  approaches  this 
character ;  as  its  historical  statements,  the  teachings  of 
Christ  aside  from  His  parables,  the  most  of  the  doc- 
trinal teachings  of  Paul,  etc.  For  instance,  when  our 
Savior  says  that  "God  is  a  Spirit,"  (John  4:24)  there 
is  absolutely  no  escape  from  this  as  a  literal  statement 
of  fact  as  to  the  real,  essential  nature  of  God,  to  the 
entire  exclusion  of  all  material  conceptions  of  Him  as 
having  a  body,  etc.  There  are  no  limitations,  either  in 
Scripture  or  reason,  which  can  be  considered  as  apply- 
ing to  this  statement.  We  must  take  it  literally.  On 
the  contrary,  when  the  Scripture  speaks  of  God  in  Heb. 
12 :2o.  as  a  "consuming  fire,"  we  know  that  fire  is  not  a 
nature,  hence  this  must  be  a  figurative  expression  for 
some  awful  characteristic  of  God ;  and  the  preceding 
verse  and  other  references  (as  Deut.  4:24)  show  that 
it  is  an  illustrative  statement  of  God's  just  wrath  against 
sin.  These  examples  may  serve  to  show  how  we 
should  study  every  other  passage  about  which  any  ques- 
tion may  arise.  If  we  should  find  a  passage  in  any 
other  book  besides  the  Bible  of  which  the  meaning  was 
not  clear,  any  sensible  person  would  try  to  find  from 
the  other  statements  of  the  book  what  must  be  meant 
in  this.  If  we  give  the  Word  of  God  the  same  fair 
treatment,  its  difficulties  will  largely  vanish.  The  prop- 
er study  of  text  and  context  and  a  fair  view  of  the 
facts  connected  will  settle  almost  any  difficulty,  with 
God's    help. 

In  studying  about  any  truth  one  should  first  find  the 
most  definite,  positive  statements  about  it,  which  sum  up 
the  whole  teaching;  let  these  become  the  fixed,  settled 
facts,   treated   as   beyond  question.     Then   take    up   the 


30 

less  definite  passages,  and  then  the  difficult  ones,  if  such 
there  are.  Remember  that  these  last  must  be  really 
other  statements  of  the  same  truth,  since  God  cannot 
contradict  Himself;  and  sooner  or  later  the  true  inter- 
pretation will  appear.  A  good  commentary  will  fre- 
quently throw  much  light  on  obscure  passages.  But  the 
greatest  thing  is  to  remember  that  the  plain  passages 
must  interpret  the  difficult  ones,  not  these  the  plain 
ones ;  and  that  we  must  not  first*assume  a  meaning  for 
the  obscure  verse  and  then  try  to  make  the  plain  ones 
agree  with  this  assumption.  To  do  this  is  to  violate 
every  principle  of  correct  interpretation,  and  to  open  up 
endless  and  terrible  chances  of  error.  If  a  passage  does 
not  become  clear  by  using  the  correct  principles  here 
laid  down,  the  student  should  lay  it  aside  and  wait.  It 
may  not  be  God's  time  for  him  to  know  that  yet;  or, 
perhaps,  he  has  not  reached  that  point  in  his  own  de- 
velopment where  he  can  understand  it.  And  let  no 
one  be  misled  by  persons  who  bring  seemingly  clear  in- 
terpretations which  are  in  violation  of  these  principles. 
Such  are  always  false,  and  always  involve  us  in  inex- 
tricable difficulties  otherwise.  God  is  TRUE,  and  His 
truth  will  vindicate  itself  in  His  Own  time,  if  we  hold 
to  true  principles  and  keep  on  studying  the  Word. 

But  none  the  less  true  is  it  that 

Figurative  passages  should  be  taken  figuratively — as 
word-illustrations  of  the  fact  or  truth  rather  than  liter- 
al statements  of  it.  For  instance,  when  we  say  "The 
sun  rises,"  or  "the  sun  sets,"  everybody  knows  that 
the  sun  does  not  do  either,  and  that  what  we  mean  is 
that  it  apparently  does  so,  because  the  earth  has  re- 
volved so  as  to  cause  that  appearance.  When  the  Bible 
speaks  of  the  same  thing  it  is  to  be  taken  likewise, 
though  the  statements  may  seem  as  literal  as  possible. 
This  leads  to  a  very  important  principle  in  understand- 
ing the  Word ;  that  the  Bible  speaks  after  the  manner  of 
the  men  to  whom  it  was  first  addressed.  Otherwise  it 
could  not  have  been  understood  or  appreciated  by  them, 
and  would  not  have  been  preserved  and  handed  down  to 
us  at  all.  Hence  we  see  the  need  of  some  understand- 
ing of  how  men  thought  and  talked  in  Bible  times,  that 
we  may  know  the  sense  in  which  God  meant  us  to  take 
his  Word.  When  Christ  is  spoken  of  as  the  "Sun  of 
righteousness"  who  should  "arise  with  healing  in  his 
wings,"    (Mai.   4:2   with   references)    for   instance,   the 


3i 

thought  is  not  that  he  was  to  be  a  literal  sun  which 
should  rise  up  in  the  sky  with  wings  like  a  bird,  con- 
taining healing  medicine  or  influence.  Taken  literally 
it  could  mean  only  this;  and  all  manner  of  false  doc- 
trines would  be  implied  in  it.  It  would  really  make  the 
whole  mission  and  character  of  our  Lord  physical  in- 
stead of  chiefly  spiritual,  and  would  thus  leave  the  mil- 
lion-fold greater  soul-needs  of  man  still  unsupplied, 
and  humanity  still  hopelessly  on  the  road  to  perdition. 
The  passage  must  be  interpreted  as  figurative,  and  then 
the  difficulty  is  removed.  So  of  the  passages  in 
which  God  is  spoken  of  as  a  sun,  a  shield  (Ps.  84:11, 
etc.,)  a  shepherd  (Ps.  80 :i,  23-1)  a  house,  (Ps.  91:9.)  a 
cave,  (Ps.  71:3),  a  rock,  (Ps.  62:6,7),  a  tozver  (Ps. 
62:6),  a  bird,  (Ps.9i:4),  and  others.  Although  such 
passages  are  worded  as  if  they  stated  a  naked  fact,  the 
thoughtful  reader  at  once  recognizes  that  tfiey  are  fig- 
ures of  speech,  or  comparisons  of  God  to  these  things 
in  some  aspects  of  his  work  for  us,  to  help  us  under- 
stand from  natural  things  what  he  is  to  us  in  spiritual 
ones.  The  real  thought  may  be  made  clear  in  many 
passages  by  thinking  the  word  "as"  in  before  the  de- 
scriptive noun —  as  a  shield,  for  protection,  etc.  To 
take  any  such  figurative  statement  literally  leads 
into  a  maze  of  absurd  falsities,  and  will  make  the 
Bible  a  mass   of  contradictions. 

How  then  can  we  tell  what  is  figurative  and  what 
literal  in  the  Bible?  If  one  will  follow  the  rules  al- 
ready laid  down  he  will  not  be  likely  to  go  far  astray. 
And  perhaps  this  general  rule  will  be  helpful  in  ad- 
dition : 

Definite  statements  which  harmonize  with  the  Bible 
as  a  whole  must  be  taken  literally;  those  which  do  not 
so  harmonize  must  be  taken  as  figurative  or  illustrative 
statements.    Test'  passages  by  this  rule. 

V.     WHY   SHOULD   WE    BELIEVE   THE 
BIBLE  TO  BE  THE  WORD  OF  GOD. 

The  world  is  full  of  books.  The  bad- and  the  indif- 
ferent are  of  course  not  from  God ;  their  very  character 
rules  them  out  of  our  question.  No  book  which  does 
not  average  far  above  ordinary  human  ones  can  be  con- 
ceived of  as  having  more  than  a  human  source.  Of  all 
earth's  millions  of  books  only  a  very  few  even  claim  to 


32 

be  more  than  human,  or  even  to  give  teachings  which 
did  not  originate  with  man.  Some  human  books  may 
of  course  in  part  approach  nearly  to  the  level  of  the 
Divine  one,  and  some  portions  of  the  Bible  may  seem 
less  supernatural  than  others.  But  each  book  must  be 
judged  upon  its  merits  and  evidence  as  a.  whole;  and 
if  not  thus  shown  to  be  from  God  it  must  be  rejected, 
so  far  as  any  claim  to  be  a  revelation  is  concerned. 
What  then  are  the  principles  which  should  g,1ide  us 
in  this  very  important  matter?  To  answer  fully  would 
of  course  require  a  volume;  but  we  can  give  a  few 
points  briefly: 

The  reasons  may  be  divided  into  two  classes;  the 
external,  comprising  the  facts  outside  of  the  Bible 
itself,  and  the  internal,  including  those  facts  within  the 
Word  which  show  its  divine  origin  and  character. 

(i.)  The  external  evidences  proving  that  the 
Bible  is  from  God. 

Its  history  of  3,400  years,  showing  its  miraculous 
origin  and  preservation.  Much  of  this  has  already  been 
given,  in  chapters  I.,  II.  and  III.  of  this  booklet;  the 
rest  can  be  found  in  larger  works  devoted  to  the  sub- 
ject. 

Geology  and  Creation.  The  Biblical  record  of  Cre- 
ation in  Genesis  is  very  largely  confirmed  by  geology 
and  astronomy.  Nearly  all  the  "days"  or  periods  given 
are  thus  confirmed,  if  not  all ;  as  are  other  points. 
Such  agreement  proves  not  only  that  the  Bible  ac- 
count is  true,  but  that  its  truth  must  have  come  from 
a  supernatural  source,  as  geology  was  unknown,  when 
it  was  written.* 

The  account  of  the  Flood  as  given  in  Genesis, 
(chap.  6:12  and  on)  is  confirmed  by  fragmentary 
records  of  other  nations  referring  to  such  a  calamity; 
The  Chaldean  account  is  the  most  notable  of  these,  and 
is  recorded  on  clay  tablets,  of  one  of  which  the  follow- 
ing is  a  cut .  Other  tablets  also  give  confirmatory 
accounts  of  the  Creation. 

These  tablets  give  many  details  which  the  Bible  read- 
er will  recognize  at  once,  and  they  form  a  remarkable 
though  fragmentary  confirmatory  evidence  of  the  truth 
of  the  Bible.     (See  "Chaldean  Account  of  Genesis") 

*Prof.  A.  Guyot's  volume,  "Creation,"  places  the  Biblical 
and  scientific  accounts  side  by  side,  though  in  the  opinion  of 
some   emphasizing  the   agreement    rather   too   strongly   in   detail. 


55 


One  of  the  tablets  giving  an  account  of  the  Flood,  discovered  by  digsn'nsr  in  the 
ruins  of  Nineveh.    The  Tel-el- Amarna  tablets  have  the  same  koiid  of  writing. 

Historical  and  geographical  allusions  in  the 
Bible.  A  writer  dealing  with  a  country  where  he  has 
never  lived  is  always  likely  to  make  mistakes  in  stating 
various  details  about  the  land,  people,  customs,  history, 
etc.  The  Bible  is  full  of-  opportunities  for  such  mis- 
takes, but  not  one  has  ever  been  proved  against  it. 
Infidel  writers  before  Bible  lands  were  well  known, 
used  to  assert  that  there  were  such  errors ;  but  the  pro- 
gress of  Biblical  research  has  proven  the  Scriptural 
record  correct  in  every  case,  and  is  constantly  adding 
new  confirmations  and  illuminations  of  the  divine  nar- 
rative. 

Archaeological  research.  The  science  of  arch- 
aeology, or  investigations  of  ancient  peoples  and  his- 
tory, largely  made  by  digging  out  ruins  of  old  cities, 
etc.,  has   brought  a   vast   multitude  of  proofs   of     the 


34 
Bible  to  light  in  the  past  few  decades.     The  Chaldean 
tablets    already   mentioned     belong     to     this    class,    of 
course ;  but  a  very  few  others  may  be  specified  here : 

(a)  Confirmations  of  the  Bible  account  of  the  He- 
brew  sojourn   in   Egypt,    etc. 

The  excavations  at  "Tel-el-Amarna"  and  other  places 
in  Egypt  have  given  a  wealth  of  material  in  proof  of  the 
Bible  account  of  the  story  of  Joseph  and  the  Hebrews 
in  Egypt  the  Exodus,  etc.  This  place  was  the  royal  city, 
and  the  discoveries  are  remains  of  the  royal  libraries 
and  records,  which  are  inscribed  on  clay  cylinders  and 
tablets  in  great  numbers.  Letters  from  Babylon,  ac- 
counts of  officers,  etc.,  give  many  facts  confirmatory  of 
the  Scripture  history  and  form  a  fascinating  chapter  in 
modern  research.  Discoveries  on  monuments,  in  tombs, 
and  even  papyrus  fragments  which  have  lain  buried  in 

?*:i;T::^.r.;^T.T..^j.iT^iv:r.^^ 

v^rflr  J-rt.n  v^ufVJ  -lAAVl*  >ik+>,>fcr,<\*.o:MU  4^0  (rap  «0Kf«3|.-. 

1  :i»JAI~u.|\5yr«ft  ll<-t(.HiL.»\„lni-V/Nc>l1<,iMfi 

wx-i«m.,\iu>-|>  W 
P  ,  JW<F'f^A|--1iAji^*M«Ai  N..AK-U.! 

->J«  ^\^^<J>»s*  ?0&*^^tf&»ttJ^\hi,i\J* 

.1  o\fXU|)ONTo[TMH8XllK^HnXf».TOyn*'Tf.II',pi(TBAII 
WHvnllUpni>YToN|uN7A«ANo»AnftM«nHIO|o»I»pTlii  ' 
'•">'*l-">«.  kvvuipnNUriu^TMAlitlMnATipAillMiMUlrrm" 
rY  no  T»r+OAno  r  IIKATOTC  »UH  Al^-t-roTTOY^'fc-rA  AtlKHip.T  « 

roT->'»A»».p«rtiri'"«HHYirrt  tIa.i  nyrpAtTMl»>AiMoYK*.»H  »mvy> 

■ANilHYYtirA  ilMrTOT1AH»lM1<l|M|,1ftVM4lK>.YMITHi||M*.ll 
',*'-'fi,ti'2'^i<>"lf,IIr,AM"rlJ*'Ar,AHTMl».MTt 
iitHfkn»>,l'«r™T.H.l,li( 
.|I*IK 


Mummy  of  Ramesis  II, 
the  Pharaoh  of  the  Oppres- 


k.-rH 


H,Ai«TAll.wtM.TI>,nANTAlYnA*>i/3i<><Z«|»ot.Yli>.i« 
7AAfr  THlAlTlW».ltl  T.,AtT1P.l«A«Yr«^'»V-*«M.' 


Portion  from  center  of  "  Rosetta  Stone,"  showing  both 


sion  in  Egypt.    About  1500     kinds  of  Egyptian  writing.    Hieroglyphic  at  the  top  ; 


B.C. 


demotic  in  center  ;  Greek  at  the  bottom. 


the  dry  sand  of  that  land  for  nearly  2,000  years,  have 
thus  many  times  borne  their  mute  testimony  to  the  truth 
of  the  sacred  narrative  in  the  Bible.  From  his  tomb  the 
very  mummified  body  of  the  Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus 
has  been  recovered,  and  now  lies  in  a  glass  case  in  the 
royal  museum  at   Cairo,   Egypt. 

(b)     Researches  in  Babylonia,  etc. 

As  in  Egypt,  so  in  the  region  of  Babylon,  records 
were  kept  on  clay  cylinders,  or  tablets,  inscribed  when 
soft  and  generally  baked  into  bricks  afterwards.  Multi- 
tudes of  these  have  been  dug  from  ruins  at  great  ex- 
pense, (about  23,000  from  Nippur  [Babylon]  alone) 
bringing  to  our  knowledge  many  facts  explanatory  of 
and  confirming  the  Bible  narrative.  As  in  Egypt,  they 
contain  names  of  places  and  kings  mentioned  in  the 
Word ;  dates  and  events  are  mentioned  which  confirm 
the  sacred  accounts.    The  Black  Obelisk  and  the  Moab- 


Panel  from  the  Black  Obelisk  of  Shalmaneser.  datinsr  from  about  840  B.  C. 
This  panel  represents  "Jehu,  Son  of  Omri,"  King  of  Israel,  paying  tribute. 

ite  Stone  are  monuments  which  give  confirmatory  rec- 
ords, dating  back  to  about  850  B.  C,  the  days  of  Shal- 
maneser and  Mesha,  some  of  which  are  mentioned  in 
the  Bible. 

(c)  The  character  of  the  early  manuscripts  of  the 
Bible  shows  beyond  question  the  extreme  age  of  the 
Word ;  the  differences  in  style  of  writing  and  material 
used  show  that  these  were  written  by  various  men  at 
different  very  early  periods  and  places,  without  collus- 
ion to  make  a  fraud.* 


*  The  most  admirable  small  work  on  this  subject  known  to 
the  writer  is  that  by  Rev.  H.  L.  Hastings,  entitled  Who  Made 
the  New  Testament?  which  may  be  had  at  the  Scriptural  Tract 
Repository,  Tremont  St.,  Boston,  for  five  cents.  A  great  variety 
of  most  telling  presentations  of  fact  along  lines  calculated  to 
meet  infidel  positions  is  also  published  by  the  same  institution. 
Send   to   them    for   catalogue. 


36 

2.  Some  internal  evidences  of  the  truth  of  the 
Bible. 

While  the  external  evidences  of  the  truth  of  the  Bible 
are  strong  enough  to  convince  any  candid  mind,  those 
which  come  from  the  inner  facts  about  this  wonderful 
Book  are  even  stronger.    A  few  of  these  are  as  follows  : 

(a)  The  general  character  of  the  Bible  in  respect 
to  the  simple  majesty  and  sublimity  of  its  (thought, 
siyle  and  teachings  places  it  in  advance  of  any  other 
book  in  existence.  As  examples,  note  the  account  of 
Creation  in  Gen.  I ;  the  conception  of  the  true  Jehovah 
in  contrast  with  idol  gods  in  Isa.  40:12  to  end,  Isa.  45. 
and  Ps.  139;  the  teachings  of  Christ  in  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount,  Matt.  5  to  7,  and  in  his  last  hours  with  his 
disciples  before  the  Crucifixion,  John  13  to  17 ;  Paul's 
wonderful  theological  discourses  in  Romans  1  to  8,  12 
to  14,  I  Cor.  15,  etc.;  the  inner  life  of  Christ  as  por- 
trayed by  John,  and  the  wonderful  visions  of  Revela- 
tion ;  with  other  passages  almost  beyond  number 
throughout  the  Wonderful  Book.  Its  historical  por- 
tions are  actual  accounts  of  events  instead  of  inven- 
tions, as  proven  by  the  facts  of  which  the  merest 
glimpse  has  already  been  given.  Its  didactic  portions 
contain  teachings  utterly  impossible  for  unaided  man  to 
imagine  before,  unapproached  by  any  other  book  what- 
ever, and  proven  true  to  the  needs  of  man  by  from 
1,900  to  3,400  years  of  actual,  working  test  in  the  lives 
of  God's  children  from  Moses  down  to  the  present.  Its 
poetical  books  are  unapproached  by  earth's  greatest- 
authors,  not  excepting  even  Milton,  whose  sublimest 
conceptions  were  borrowed  from  the  sacred  Book,  as 
have  been  those  of  others  of  the  greatest  human  poets. 
Its  code  of  morals  in  the  Ten  Commandments  and 
teachings  of  Christ  have  been  at  once  the  wonder  of 
every  age  which  has  known  it,  the  basis  of  every  civil 
code  in  Christendom,  and  the  despair  of  any  who  would 
cavil  against  or  supersede  it.  Earth's  greatest  jurists 
and  statesmen  have  spoken  loudest  in  its  praise,  and 
the  greatest  infidel  objectors  to  the  Word  stand  silent 
before  it  or  break  forth  into  praise  of  this  perfect  law. 
Of  its  prophecies,  so  many  have,  been  strikingly  fulfilled 
as  to  place  their  divine  origin  beyond  question  and  make 
the  fulfillment  of  the  others  only  a  question  of  time. 
Surely  such  a  book  as  this  can  be  none  other  than  the 
Book  of  God,  as  it  claims  to  be! 


37 
(b)  It  contains  multitudes  of  actual  revelations  of 
truth  and  future  events — a  fact  which  is  not  true  of 
any  other  book.  Nothing  which  is  already  known  can 
be  considered  a  ''revelation ;"  it  must  be  something  new, 
at  least  to  the  person  or  people  in  question.  Supernat- 
ural aid  might  of  course  be  given  in  searching  out,  se- 
lecting and  properly  recording  known  facts  of  history, 
etc.,  for  the  Divine  purposes  in  the  Book ;  or  God  could 
put  Moses,  for  instance,  in  direct  and  instantaneous 
possession  of  all  the  facts  of  the  Creation.  No  man  wit- 
nessed those  stupendous  events ;  hence  the  wonderful 
account  we  have  in  Genesis  must  have  been  given  to 
some  one  from  God — a  revelation — at  the  first ;  and  the 
other  and  later  accounts  which  we  have  mentioned  must 
be  corrupted  traditions  of  this  early  revelation.  Prob- 
ably not  one  man  on  earth  would  of  himself  have  writ- 
ten the  marvelously  impressive  first  four  words  of  it 
alone,  "IN  THE  BEGINNING  GOD;"  but  it  was  the 
only  fit  beginning  of  a  book  intended  in  part  to  sweep 
polytheistic  idolatry  from  the  world  which  it  was  ruin- 
ing, and  so  the  One  God  put  Himself  at  the  beginning 
of  His  Revelation  of  Himself.  No  one  would  have 
ventured  the  prophecy  of  Christ,  in  Gen.  3:15;  but  God 
gave  it  to  Moses  as  the  first  step  in  preparing  the  way 
for  the  Savior  who  was  to  come.  No  mere  man  ever 
wrote  the  majestic  though  partial  revelations  of  God 
and  his  dealings  with  men  in  Job ;  no  man  could  have 
given  the  Psalms  of  David,  the  Proverbs  of  Solomon, 
or  a  single  one  of  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah,  Jeremiah  or 
others.  Still  less  could  any  mere  man  have  opened  the 
windows  of  heaven  and  revealed  the  wonderful  truths 
of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  at  which  the  greatest  Rab- 
bis marvelled  and  before  which  all  the  world  has  con- 
tinued to  stand  in  reverence.  They  were  a  direct 
revelation  from  God  to  man ;  before  unknown  and  for 
the  most  part  unapproached  in  human  thought.  So 
were  the  marvellous  #  unfoldings  of  Divinity  in  the 
Perfect  Character  of  earth,  our  blessed  Savior.  Him- 
self being  the  Revelation  of  God,  before  He  came  no 
man,  even  in  the  sublimest  flights  of  imagination,  could 
have  conceived  such  a  Perfect  Character  as  He.  And 
still  less  could  any  one  put  his  own  imaginings  into 
real,'  consecutive  and  consistent  form  such  as  is  seen  in 
the  life-portrait  of  Him  in  the  Gospels.  Either  He 
lived  and  died  as  there  related,  or  some  man  invented 


38 
that  marvellous  Character  with  all  His  sayings  and 
works,  related  them  in  all  the  variety  of  individuality 
and  coloring  as  given  in  the  four  gospels,  and  de- 
duced from  them  the  record  of  doctrine  and 
deed  found  in  the  Acts  and  Epistles;  and 
likewise  invented  all  the  evidences  following  in  the 
changed  lives  and  ideas  of  men,  which  we  find  from 
that  point  onward,  making  a  continuous  chain  of  fact 
from  then  down  1,900  years.  Likewise  he  must  have 
been  able  to  blot  out  the  whole  Jewish  economy  at  the 
time  of  Christ  and  the  Apostles  without  any  cause;  for 
it  certainly  was  in  existence  before  then  and  ceased 
soon  after.  Then  he  must  himself  have  passed  into  ob- 
livion, totally  unknown,  leaving  not  a  trace !  Such  a 
thing  is  totally  unthinkable ;  preposterous ;  ten  times  as 
much  of  a  tax  on  belief  as  the  real  facts  related  in  the 
Word.  If  we  knew  nothing  of  a  Christ  at  all,  and  knew 
the  facts  of  secular  and  Christian  history  which  have 
come  into  being  since,  as  President  Fairchild  used  to 
say,  we  should  he  compelled  to  place  such  a  being  at 
that  point  in  order  to  account  for  what  we  absolutely 
know  as  facts  even  of  secular  history!  There  is  no  rea- 
son for  not  accepting  the  Scripture  account  of  Him  as 
we  have  it.  There  is  every  reason  for  accepting  it.  The 
only  reasonable  explanation  for  Him  as  He  thus  ap- 
pears in  history  is  that  given  by  Himself,  I  came  forth 
from  the  Father/'  (John  16:27,  17:8,  etc.)  And  as  He 
gave  His  divine  authority  to  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures by  referring  to  twenty-one  of  their  books  in  His 
recorded  talks,  as  God's  Word,  while  His  own  life  and 
teachings  and  their  results  compose  the  New  Testament, 
if  He  is  true  the  whole  Bible  must  be  truly  a  revelation 
from  God,  Christ  is  Himself  the  crowning  proof  of  the 
Divine  Word. 

(c)  The  wonderful  matching  of  truth  to  truth  in 
different  parts  of  the  Bible,  though  written  by  about 
forty  different  men  and  during  about  1,600  years  of 
time,  proves  a  supervision  which  cannot  have  been  less 
than  Divine.  Take  the  doctrine  of  the  oneness  and 
eternity  and  spirituality  of  God,  f6r  instance,  which  is 
announced  in  the  first  four  words  of  Genesis,  "In  the 
beginning  God."  No  pagan  nation  of  Moses'  time  be- 
lieved that,  nor  ever  has  since ;  even  many  of  the 
Hebrews  were  then  only  being  brought  out  of  the  op- 
posite   conception    of    God,    and    they   were    continually 


39 
falling  back  from  this  idea  into  the  plural  and  mater- 
ialistic conceptions  of  Him  which  were  held  by  the 
heathen  around  them.  Yet  this  wonderful  Book  starts 
out  with  it,  makes  it  prominent  and  emphatic,  and  every 
single  writer  in  the  whole  Book  holds  the  same,  in 
spite  of  pagan  surroundings  and  differences  of  time  and 
locality.  The  Old  Testament  might  almost  be  called  a 
history  of  God's  efforts  to  rid  his  people  of  the  pagan 
doctrine  of  many  gods,  who  were  male  and  female,  had 
fleshly  bodies  and  family  relations  in  the  other  world, 
and  sent  their  children  back  to  this  to  materialize  and 
propagate.  Likewise  the  Bible  ideas  of  woman,  mar- 
riage, the  home,  childhood,  government,  the  future  life, 
and  of  right  and  wrong  in  general,  are  essentially  the 
same  all  through,  and  essentially  different  from  those 
of  the  pagan  nations  around  God's  chosen  people,  as  a 
rule.  Whence  came  these  strange  new  truths,  if  the 
Bible  is  not  from  God;  whence  this  strange  unity  of 
differing  and  separated  men  in  views  unknown  outside 
of  this  one  people,  and  imperfectly  known  by  them? 
When  Frederick  the  Great  asked  one  of  his  learned 
men  for  a  proof  of  the  truth  of  the  Bible,  in  four  words, 
he  replied,  ''The  Jews,  your  majesty" — the  people  made 
so  separate  by  these  teachings  for  generations  that  they 
still  continue  like  themselves  alone — preserved  for  that 
purpose,  too,  it  may  be. 

(d)  The  unapproached  purity  of  morals  in  the  Bible 
is  a  strong  proof  of  its  divine  origin.  The  pagan  con- 
ceptions of  their  gods  have  generally  been  similar  to 
those  outlined  above — human  beings  grown  large,  with 
sins  and  frailties  still  a  part  of  their  nature.  The  very 
worship  of  some  of  them,  as  of  Bacchus  the  god  of 
drink  and  of  Venus  the  goddess  of  sex,  even  prescribed 
the  grossest  immorality  as  a  part  of  their  worship ! 
Nearly  every  pagan  system  has  similar  ideas,  in  some 
degree.  The  images  sometimes  seen  in  India  are  revolt- 
ing to  Christian  sense,  and  the  writer  has  seen  actual 
idols  of  this  day  from  Africa  which  were  hideous  in 
their  viciousness.  In  fact  almost  every  false  religion, 
in  leaving  the  true  idea  of  God  (Rom.  1:21-23),  has 
•  made  the  sex  idea  its  real  center,  with  more  or  less  im- 
morality as  an  unavoidable  result.  And  the  same  is 
true  of  the  other  sinful  qualities  in  these  idols.  What- 
ever a  people  worships  it  will  invariably  imitate ;  their 
idea  of  God   is  their  strongest   elevating  or  degrading 


4° 
force,  as  the  case  may  be.  Contrast  now  the  Bible  idea 
of  the  true  GOD  with  these  false  pagan  conceptions. 
Even  the  very  angels  in  heaven  are  described  as  cover- 
ing their  faces  and  falling  down  before  Him  and  cry- 
ing, "Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  Jehovah  of  hosts ;  the  whole 
earth  is  full  of  his  glory!"  (Isa.  6:1-7;  see  Rev. 
4:8.)  There  is  not  one  taint  of  sin  in  His  blessed 
Being.  From  unnumbered  ages  of  eternity  He  has 
been  the  Perfectly  Holy  One.  Hi's  throne  is  rep- 
resented as  white,  His  angels  and  saints  clothed 
in  white,  Himself  "dwelling  in  light  unapproach- 
able"— all  symbols  of  absolute  purity.  The  merely 
human  idea  of  gods  is  always  groveling  and  base. 
Whence  came  this  idea  of  perfect  purity  as  existing 
in  God  and  to  be  the  object  of  our  life-struggle, 
if  not  from  God  Himself? 

Likewise  the  chiefest  pagan  nations  of  antiquity 
debased  woman  into  an  object  of  lust,  to  be  mar- 
ried, bought  and  sold,  or  kept,  at  will;  the  Bible 
makes  her  man's  beloved  companion,  and  says  "they 
twain,"  (not  "they  twenty")  shall  be  one  flesh  in 
holy  wedlock.  Paganism  legalized  the  killing  of 
unwelcome  babes  by  throwing  them  out  on  the 
rocks  or  into  the  street,  and  the  father  could  slay 
even  his  grown-up  son  or  daughter  or  sell  them  into 
slavery  or  vice.  The  Bible,  on  the  contrary,  limits 
even  parental  authority,  and  says  to  all  "Thou  shalt 
not  kill,"  and  teaches  that  even  inherited  slaves  are 
to  be  treated  as  Christian  brothers  in  the  Lord. 
Paganism  has  required  drunkenness  as  worship; 
the  Bible  condemns  the  use  of  intoxicants.  Pagan- 
ism bred  tyranny  in  government;  the  Bible  teaches 
patriotic  loyalty,  but  limits  the  powers  of  govern- 
ment by  the  welfare  of  the  governed  and  the  law 
of  God.  (Rom  13:1-7.)  Paganism  idolized  wealth 
and  used  it  with  shameless  extravagance;  the  Bible 
teaches  most  careful  stewardship  of  all  we  have, 
as  belonging  really  to  God  instead  of  to  us.  Thus 
through  the  whole  range  of  human  relations  and  ac- 
tivities runs  a  complete  contrast  between  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Bible  and  the  practice  of  paganism.  Out- 
side of  the  Book  of  God  the  moral  standard  is  that 
of  chaotic  selfishness;  in  the  Word  it  is  holy,  just 
and  good.     Only  God  could  have  made  it  so. 

(e.)     The  devotional  value  of  the   Word  is  an  im- 


41 

portant  fact.  God  made  the  human  soul,  with  all 
its  need  of  spiritual  nourishment.  It  is  the  expe- 
rience of  his  children  everywhere  and  in  all  ages 
that  this  wonderful  Word  supplies  this  need  thor- 
oughly, in  connection  with  prayer.  Some  other 
books  are  useful  also,  but  their  thought  is  almost 
always  based  on  the  Bible,  if  not  taken  directly 
from  it.  The  need  in  the  soul  and  the  supply  in 
the  Word  must  have  come  from  the  same  source. 


VI.     WHY  WE  SHOULD  NOT  BELIEVE 
THAT  ANY  OTHER  BOOK  IS  FROM  GOD 

The  mere  claim  that  a  book  is  from  God  should 
never  be  enough  to  cause  any  one  to  accept  it  as 
such.  Nor  are  those  to  whom  it  is  first  brought 
compelled  to  prove  that  it  is  not  from  God.  The 
new  must  always  prove  itself,  as  the  condition  of 
acceptance;  and  in  such  an  important  matter  the 
proof  must  be  of  the  most  convincing  kind.  .Other- 
wise any  plausible  book,  even  if  from  Satan  him- 
self, would  have  to  be  accepted  as  from  God.  There 
is  no  safety  in  any  other  position  whatsoever. 

There  are  perhaps  six  other  books  and  sets  of 
writings  besides  the  Bible  which,  in  some  sense, 
take  the  place  to  their  adherents  which  the  Bible 
does  to  the  Christian;  the  works  of  Confucius  to 
Chinese,  the  Zend-Avesta  to  the  Persians,  the  books 
of  the  Hindoos  and  Buddhists  to  those  classes  in 
India,  the  Koran  to  the  Mohammedans,  and  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  Doctrine  and  Covenants  and  Pearl 
of  Great  Price  among  the  Mormon  people.  These 
words  will  be  read  by  many  who  believe  in  the 
last-named  books  as  from  God.  The  writer  finds 
himself  entirely  unable  to  accept  these  any  more 
than  the  others  named,  for  good  and  sufficient  rea- 
sons. As  our  whole  religious  life  depends  on  what 
we  accept  as  the  voice  of  God  to  us,  and  many  of 
the  teachings  of  the  Mormon  books  are  contrary 
to  those  of  the  real  Word  of  which  we  have  been 
studying,  he  feels  it  his  duty  to  speak  briefly  and 
kindly  about  this  part  of  our  subject,  yet  plainly,  as 
upon  all  its  other  phases.  He  trusts  that  all  will 
give  this  the  same  careful  consideration  as  the 
balance  of  this  booklet,  judging  for  their  own  sakes 


42 

most  carefully  of  what  is  to  be  said.  The  simple 
truth  is  what  each  one  should  seek,  no  matter  if 
it  does  sometimes  require  changes  in  previous  views. 

As  to  external  evidence  for  any  of  these  six  classes 
of  books,  careful  study  will  reveal  the  fact  that 
not  one  of  them  has  any  such  reason,  in  any  direc- 
tion, either  in  kind  or  amount,  for  being  considered 
a  sacred  book,  as  has  the  Bible.  Indeed,  the  works 
of  Confucius  do  not  even  teach  the  existence  of  a 
God,  and  cannot  therefore  be  from  Him  in  their 
own  estimation.  They  are  a  sort  of  moral  philos- 
ophy for  this  world  only.  Nor  has  any  of  the  books 
mentioned  any  sort  of  history,  definite  and  real,  as 
the  Bibl.e  has.  Some  of  them  date  back  in  some 
form  to  prehistoric  times;  others  to  very  recent 
ones,  as  the  Mormon  books,  which  all  came  into 
being  during  about  twenty  years  and  in  close  con- 
nection, at.  least,  with  one  man,  in  whom  there  was 
every  natural  possibility  of  self-deception  or  im- 
position. Let  the  reader  study  up  the  facts  about 
the  history  of  these  books  and  compare  it  with 
that  of  the  Bible  as  already  given,  and  satisfy  him- 
self as  to  the  external  evidence.* 

And  the  internal  evidence  presented  by  them  is 
no  better.  None  of  these  books  contain  true  history 
to  any  valuable  extent.  Some  of  them  may  con- 
tain small  fragments  of  history,  but  nearly  all  of 
what  even  purports  to  be  true  narrative  of  fact 
is  evidently  fiction  or  myth,  and  almost  entirely 
unreliable  when  measured  by  the  known  facts  on 
the  subject  from  other  sources.  Archaeology,  for 
instance,  speaking  through  the  tablets  and  monu- 
ments already  alluded  to,  proclaims  the  Bible  true 
in  every  instance  in  which  they  speak  about  the 
same   facts  at  all,  and  in  the  same  way  often  dis- 

*A  friend  suggests  the  following  addition  to  the  statements 
above,  which  we  also  endorse:  The  Book  of  Mormon,  while 
claiming  to  be  a  Divine  revelation,  does  not  reveal  anything — 
not  one  item  of  moral  or  religious  truth.  While  claiming  to 
have  been  sealed  up  and  hid  away  in  the  "hill  Cumorah"  at 
about  the  close  of  the  fourth  century,  A.  D.,  nevertheless  it 
quotes  chaoter  after  chapter  from  the  King  James'  English 
version  oi  the  Bible,  which  did  not  come  into  existence  until 
1200  years  later.  Not  less  than  eleven  witnesses  testify  that 
they  heard  the  substance  of  the  book  read  as  a  novel  in  1815, 
fifteen  years  before  Joseph  Smith  issued  it  as  a  "revelation." 
Such  facts  as  these  compel  non-Mormons  to  believe  that  this  is 
both  a  modern  and  human  book,  instead  of  the  ancient  and 
divine   one    which  it  is  claimed  to  be. 


43 
proves  the  other  books.  But  any  reader  who  doubts 
this  statement  or  wishes  to  know  more  about  this 
great  subject  is  invited  to  investigate  carefully  for 
himself.  President  Fairchild  well  says,  in  his  Ele- 
ments of  Theology,  page  57: 

"The  other  books,  in  comparison,  are  not  his- 
torical to  any  considerable  extent,  and  are  not 
weighty  in  their  contents.  It  matters  little  what 
their  origin  may  be.  We  will  accept  them  for  what 
they  are  worth;  and  this  seems  to  be  very  little. 
The  highest  compliment  that  can  be  offered  to  any 
of  these  books  is  to  find  some  faint  resemblance,  in 
some,  minute  portion,  to  a  passage  of  our  sacred 
Scriptures.  If  we  have  any  books  that  come  with  di- 
vine authority,  and  are  worth  the  attention  of  the 
world,  they  are  the  books  of  the  Christian  Scrip- 
tures." 

Nor  will  the  religious  doctrines  of  these  other 
books  bear  scrutiny,  any  further  than  they  are 
taken  from  or  based  upon  the  Bible.  Thus  the 
Koran  holds  correctly  to  the  Bible  doctrine  of 
One  God,  but  makes  Christ  only  a  man  like  Moses 
and  Mohammed,  and  replaces  the  Bible  by  itself. 
The  story  which  Mohammed  tells  of  the  origin  of 
the  Koran  reminds  one  of  the  account  of  the  origin 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon  by  Joseph  Smith.  The 
Book  of  Mormon  is  said  to  take  about  10,000  verses, 
including  whole  chapters,  bodily  from  the  King  James' 
version  of  the  Bible,  mostly  without  change  and  al- 
ways without  acknowledgment;  and  while  the  doc- 
trines of  this  book  and-  of  the  earlier  portion  of 
the  Doctrine  and  Covenants  are  not  radically  in  op- 
position to  the  Bible,  those  of  the  later  portions 
of  the  Mormon  books  are  often  thoroughly  so.  The 
Zend-Avesta  of  the  Parsees  contains  much  truth,  and 
would  perhaps  rank  highest  among  the  non-Bibli- 
cal "sacred"  books.  Confucius  gave  a  negative  state- 
ment of  the  Golden  Rule,  and  is  believed  by  some 
to  have  reached  even  the  positive  conception  of  it, 
as  stated  by  Christ;  but  he  teaches  little  if  anything 
about  any  God,  and  inculcates  the  worship  of  an- 
cestors, while  he  does  not  even  claim  his  work  to 
be  inspired.*  The  Buddhist  and  Hindoo  books  are 
chiefly   mythical   legends,   with   practically  no   foun- 

*  Religions  of  China,   Legge,  p.  260. 


44 

dation  of  fact,  though  dating  back  several  hundred 
years  before  Christ.  Of  these  tne  famous  scholar 
Max  Mueller  said  that  one  might  find  an  occasional 
gem  of  truth  by  sifting  through  a  mountain  of  chaff, 
and  Professor  Rhys  Davids  said  that  "the  views 
of  life  as  set  forth  in  the  Pali  Pitakas"  (the  Bud- 
dhist sacred  books)  are  "fundamentally  opposed  to 
those  set  forth  in  the  New  Testament."* 

There  is  but  one  sacred  Book  of  Truth.  The  others 
are  all  books  characterized  by  error,  more  or  less  mis- 
chievous, though  often  mixed  with  some  truth.  The 
lack  of  sufficient  evidence  to  prove  a  book  genuine 
is  fatal  to  its  claims,  for  any  book  must  prove- itself 
to  be  from  God  before  we  have  any  right  to  accept 
it  as  such.  There  is  not  one  real  revelation  of  truth 
in  all  these  books,  aside  from  the  Bible;  but  the 
Word  of  God  is  full  of  such.  This  one  Book  con- 
tains all  that  any  soul  needs  from  God,  or  can  get 
through  any  such  channel;  it  is  sufficient,  self- 
proved,  indestructible;  as  the  great  Wm.  E.  Glad- 
stone called  it,  "the  Impregnable  Rock  of  Holy 
Scripture ;"  as   the  Bible   itself  calls   itself,   The   word 

of   God,    which    liveth    and    abideth forever."      (1 

Peter   1:23-25.) 

— <S> 

VIL    HELPS  IN  UNDERSTANDING  AND 
USING  THE  BIBLE. 

The  first  help  is  the  Bible  itself,  of  course.  It 
should  be  a  reference  edition,  if  possible — which 
can  be  had  very  cheaply  if  necessary;  best  of  all 
a  "Teachers' "  edition  of  the  American  Standard 
Revised  Bible,  which  has  the  references,  with  many 
other  helps  bound  in  the  back  part.  These  may 
be  had  at  large  bookstores  (several  in  Salt  Lake) 
or  may  be  ordered  by  mail  from  the  publishers, 
Thos.   Nelson    &    Sons,    New    York    City. 

Next  to  the  Bible  itself,  a  good  Cruden's  Com- 
plete Concordance,  which  is  really  an  index  to  all 
the  chief  words  in  the  Bible,  will  be  valuable.  The 
smaller  Concordance  in  the  Teachers'  Bible  is  good 
for  the  more  common  passages,  but  is  very  far  from 
being  complete.  Next  to  the  Cruden  some  good 
and   fairly   complete   list   of    Bible    passages    printed 

*  Light  of  Asia  and  the  Light  of  the  World,  p.   XIII. 


45 

out  more  or  less  fully  under  the  proper  subject- 
headings  will  be  very  valuable  indeed.  The  writer 
has  used  for  this  purpose  "The  Bible  Text  Cyclo- 
pedia," by  Inglis,  for  twenty  years  or  so,  and 
considers  it  the  best  of  the  kind  which  he  has  seen. 
It  contains  524  pages  of  close  print,  and  gives  near- 
ly all  the  Bible  passages  on  any  subject  likely  to  be 
thought  of;  as,  for  instance,  it  has  forty-nine  pages 
on  the  subject  of  "God";  under  "Christ,"  thirty-nine; 
"faith,"  nearly  ten;  "church,"  ten;  "prayer,"  about 
nine;  and  so  on.  It  will  be  found  invaluable  to  those 
who  can  afford  it.  The  price  is  $1.75.  Bible  Truths, 
by  Rev.  R.  A.  Torrey,  is  a  smaller  book  of  similar 
kind,  not  printing  passages  out  in  full;  price  60c. 
These  may.be  ordered  of  the  Moody  Colportage  As- 
sociation, Institute  Place,  Chicago.  "Supplemental 
Bible  Studies,"  giving  the  main  doctrines  of  and 
facts  about  the  Bible  (50c),  and  the  one-volume  edi- 
tion of  Smith's  Bible  Dictionary,  telling  about  Bible 
places,  customs,  etc.  ($1.50),  may  be  ordered  of 
F.  H.  Revell  Co.,  Chicago.  Inquiries  addressed  to 
either  of  the  above  or  to  E.  J.  Goodrich,  Oberlin, 
O.,  will  bring  information  about  Commentaries,  etc. 
Of  these  Cowles'  is  perhaps  as  brief  and  good  as 
any  for  the  ordinary  student.  The  author  will  be 
pleased  to  give  any  further  information  in  this 
line  possible,  if  inquiries  are  sent  to  the  address 
on  the  first  page  of  the  cover  of  this  booklet. 

— <S> — 

VIIL    HELPFUL  AND  CORRECT  READY 
REFERENCES. 

As  both  a  help  and  a  stimulus  in  finding  the  real 
teachings  of  the  Bible  and  familiarizing  oneself  with 
them,  the  following  classified  list  of  Scripture  pas- 
sages is  given.  It  has  been  prepared  at  great  cost 
of  time  and  effort.  The  selections  are  quoted  from 
the  American  Revised  version,  which  will  account 
for  some  differences  from  the  usual  wordings.  Our 
effort  has  been  to  print  out  in  full  the  most  im- 
portant statements  of  the  Bible  on  each  of  the 
subjects  deemed  most  important  for  this  purpose; 
sometimes  adding  references  to  still  others,  which 
our  limited  space  will  not  permit  of  giving  in  full. 
The  passages  are  chosen  according  to  the  principles 


46 

of  correct  interpretation  already  given.  It  is  pos- 
sible to  greatly  mislead  by  quoting  a  passage  as 
teaching  one  thing  when  it  belongs  under  another 
subject  altogether,  and  we  have  been  conscientious- 
ly careful  to  give  each  verse  under  its  correct  sub- 
ject, that  no  single  error  might  occur.  It  is  strong- 
ly urged  that  the  reader  study  each  of  these  pas- 
sages in  his  own  Bible,  also  considering  carefully 
the  context  when  it  is  important,  and  our  explana- 
tory remarks  under  the  different  headings.  Also 
we  would  suggest  the  use  by  those  who  can  do  so 
of  the  Subject  Index  and  Concordance  in  a  good 
Teachers'  Bible,  and  of  some  of  the  books  already 
suggested  as  helps,  to  find  still  more  Bible  passages 
on  these  subjects.  This  will  often  be  found  a  great 
delight  to  the  earnest  student  of  God's  Word. 

Another  suggestion  also.  The  Bible  is  not  a  book 
of  abstract  rules  for  life  and  belief — as  a  formulated 
creed  might  be;  it  is  rather  a  book  of  such  princi- 
ples in  action — word  photographs,  as  it  were,  of  actual 
human  lives  as  they  have  been  lived  by  people  like 
us,  showing  the  results  produced  by  right  or  wrong 
principles;  from  which  we  must  usually  deduce  our 
own  abstract  principles  and  creed.  Hence  it  shows 
the  bad  points  of  good  men  faithfully,  as  a  camera 
does  a  face;  and  hence  we  must  expect  to  find  some 
truths  to  be  arrived  at  by  deductive  thought,  and 
not  that  every  point  of  genuine  religious  truth  will 
be  found  set  forth  bodily  by  texts;  though  nearly 
all  are  made  sufficiently  clear  thus.  Occasionally 
we  need  to  study  many  pasages  on  a  subject  togeth- 
er, and  to  think  and  pray  for  light  till  we  get  the 
real  truth  from  them  all.  And  if  we  reason  correct- 
ly the  result  will  be  just  as  true  as  if  put  into  texts 
directly.  To  guard  against  error  in  such  c'ases 
it  is  always  wise  to  learn  what  conclusions  have 
been  reached  by  other  students,  who  may  know 
more  of  the  facts. 

In  arranging  the  texts  we  have  sought  to  place 
them  in  their  logical  order  of  doctrine,  beginning 
with  that  which  is  at  the  foundation  of  all  religi- 
ous belief,  the  doctrine  of  God. 

Before  beginning  this  study,  may  we  not  sug- 
gest that  the  reader  find  it  in  his  heart,  if  posible, 
to  pray  this  prayer,  or  a  similar  one,  from  the  heart, 
that   God  will  help  in  understanding   His  Word? 


47 
PRAYER. 

"O  God,  my  Heavenly  Father,  Thou  hast  said, 
"If  any  man  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God... and 
it  shall  be  given  him."  I  do  lack  wisdom;  in  a  world 
ana  with  Thy  Word  full  of  truth  about  Thee  and 
duty  I  have  grasped  only  a  little.  I  hunger  for  more 
of  Thy  blessed  Truth;  and  for  more  of  Thee  who 
art  the  living  Truth,  O  God!  As  now  I  seek  to 
study  the  blessed  Word,  wilt  Thou  not  enlighten 
my  mind  and  help  me  to  see  and  understand,  that 
I  may  "behold  wondrous  things  out  of  Thy  law," 
with  the  Psalmist  of  old?  Wilt  Thou  not  help  me 
to  be  perfectly  willing  by  Thy  grace  to  receive 
all  that  Thou  dost  thus  show  me  as  Thy  Truth? 
Wilt  Thou  not  give  me  the  special  aid  of  thy  Holy 
Spirit,  as  I  thus  study,  that  He  may.  lead  my  wil- 
ling mind  into  all  truth  as  I  become  able  to  under- 
stand it,  and  that  I  may  be  diligent  in  searching 
Thy  Word  as  for  hid  treasures?  For  Thy  Name's 
sake,  through  Jesus  Christ,  Amen!" 

B^^The  passages  are  quoted  from  the  American  Re- 
vised Bible. 

Explanations.  In  the  Bible  quotations,  especially,  brackets 
[  ]  are  used  to  denote  that  the  words  enclosed  within  them 
do  not  belong  to  the  passage  which  is  being  quoted,  but  are 
explanations  by  the  author  ot  this  booklet.  When  the  whole  of 
a  Bible  verse  is  not  quoted,  as  is  often  the  case  when  several 
words  can  be  omitted  to  save  space  without  altering  the  sense 
at  all,  small  dots  are  put  in  to  indicate  that  there  is  such  an 
omission,    thus:     .     .     . 

What  the  Bible  Teaches  About  God 
(a)   AS  TO  HIS  NATURE. 

i.  He  is  a  personal  God — a  thinking,  intelli- 
gent Being,  as  opposed  to  a  mere  thing,  or  even 
an  animal.  The  real  personality  of  a  human  being 
is  his  spirit,  not  the  body;  no  one  would  speak  of 
an  animal  as  a  person,  though  it  has  a  body  of  the 
same  materials  as  man's.  This  essential,  spirit- 
ual personality  of  God  is  implied  in  every  Bible  text 
about  God.     The  following  are  especially  in  point: 

Gen.  1:1;  In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens  and  the 
earth. 

2  Cor.  6:17,  18;  Wherefore  come  ye  out  from  among  them 
[idolaters]  and  be  ye  separate,  saith  the  Lord,  and  touch  no 
unclean  thing;  and  I  will  receive  you,  and  will  be  to  you  a 
Father,  and  ye  shall  be  to  me  sons  and  daughters,  saith  the 
Lord  Almighty. 


48 

Rev.  21:3,  4,  7;  And  He  shall  dwell  with  them,,  they  shall  be 
his  peoples,   and  God  Himself  shall  be  with  them,   and  be  their 

God:   and   he   shall   wipe  away   every   tear   from  their  eyes 

7  and  I   will  be   his  God,  and   he  shall  be  my  son. 

Rev.  22:20;  He  who  testifieth  these  things  saith,  Yea;  I 
come    quickly.      Amen:    come.    Lord    Jesus. 

2.  He  is   One  God,   and  there   is   no   other. 

Gen.   1:1;      "In  the  beginning  God"    (not  many  gods.) 

Deut.    6:4;    Jehovah    our    God    is    one    Jehovah. 

Isa.  43:10,  11;  Before  Me  there  was  no  God  formed,  neither 
shall  there  be  after  me.  I,  even  I,  am  Jehovah ;  and  besides 
Me   there   is    no    savior. 

Ps.  96:5;  For  all  the  gods  of  the  peoples  are  idols;  but  Je- 
hovah made  the  heavens. 

Isa.  44:6;  I  am  the  first,  and  I  am  the  last;  and  besides  me 
there   is  no   God.    (v.   8;   also.) 

Isa.  45:5;  I  am  Jehovah,  and  there  is  none  else;  besides  me 
there  is  no  God.  (See  also  verses  6,  14,  18,  21  and  22  of  this 
chapter,  making  ten  emphatic  statements  of  the  same  kind  in 
this  one  chapter.) 

Mark  12:29;  (words  of  Christ  Himself)  Hear,  O  Israel;  the 
Lord    our    God,    the    Lord    is    one.      (See    verses    32,    34.) 

I  Cor.  8:4;  We  know  that  no  idol  is  anything  in  the  world, 
and  that  there  is  no  God  but  one. 

Gal.    3:20;    But   God    is   one. 

1  Tim.  1:17;  Now  unto  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  invisible, 
the  only  God. 

1  Tim.  2:5;  For  there  is  one  God,  one  mediator  also  between 
God   and  men. 

That  there  is  only  oVe  God  is  the  universal  teaching  of  the 
Bible,   and   not  one   passage  is   contrary   to   it. 

3.  God  is  a  trinity — a  three-in-one  Being.  Trin- 
ity means  three  in  one,  — (Dictionary.)  This  does 
not  mean  three  separate  Gods  in  one.  The  trinity 
of  God  is  a  mystery  which  cannot  yet  be  understood 
by  us,  but  it  can  be  believed,  upon  the  testimony 
of  the  Bible  and  of  our  own  nature.  Every  human 
being  is  in  a  sense  a  trinity,  of  intellect,  sensibil- 
ities and  will;  and  it  was  perhaps  largely  in  regard 
to  this  ract  that  God  said  that  he  "created  man  in 
His  own  image." 

Matt.  3:16;17;  (Baptism  of  Christ)  And  lo,  the  heavens  were 
opened  unto  him,  and  he  saw  the  Spirit  of  God  descending  as 
a  dove,  and  coming  upon  him  ;  and  lo,  a  voice  out  of  the  heav- 
ens, saying,  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleas- 
ed. (Christ  being  set  apart  or  ordained  thus  to  His  great  work 
as  at  once  Priest  and  Offering  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  God 
the  Father  and  God  the  Holy  Spirit  both  give  their  testimony 
to  both  His  divinity  and  their  unity  with  Him  as  God.  Unity  is 
a  matter  of  essence,   not   of  mere   form.) 

Matt.  28:19;  Baptizing  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father 
and  of  the  Son    and  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

2  Cor.  13:14;  The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the 
love  of  God,  and  the  communion  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  be  with 
you  all. 


49 

There  are  very  many  other  passages  where  each 
of  the  single  members  of  the  blessed  Trinity  speaks 
or  is  spoken  of  as  being  himself  God,  thus 
implying  that  the  members  of  the  Trinity,  as  they 
are  thus  spoken  of,  are  equal.  But  the  greatest 
teaching  about  God  is  that  He  is  One;  hence  these 
passages  teaching  or  implying  Trinity  compel  us  to 
believe  that  God  is  both  one  and  three  at  the  same 
time.  See  John  1 :  28  to  33;  John  5:  21  to  37;  John 
6:  32  to  59,  and  68-69;  John  8:  21  to  29,  38  to  42  and 
52  to  59;  John  14:  10,  11,  16-20,  23,  27;  John  15:  26; 
John  17:  3,  5.  See  also  references  under  "God  the 
Father,"  "God  the  Son,"  and  God  the  Holy  Spirit,"  on 
pages  52  and  on. 

4.  God  is  a  spirit — ''The  term  spirit  properly  de- 
notes a  being  without  a  [material]  body." — (Dic- 
tionary). 

Deut.  4: IS;  Fot  ye  saw  no  manner  of  form  on  the  day  that 
Jehovah  spake  unto  you  in  Horeb   out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire. 

Job.  9:11;  Lo,  he  goeth  by  me,  and  I  see  him  not.  He 
passeth   on    also,    but   I    perceive   him   not. 

John  4:24;  God  is  a  spirit.  (The  Greek  here  is  pneuma  o 
Theos;  Robinson's  Greek  Lexicon  says  p>wia)ia  is  used  "of  God 
in  reference  to  His  immateriality"  ;  excluding  all  thought  of  any 
physical  body  as  being  any  part  of  Him ;  and  so  Christ  Him- 
self  says,    "A   spirit    hath   not   flesh   and    bones,"    (Luke   24:39.) 

2  Cor.  3:17;  Now  the  Lord  is  the  Spirit. 

We  also  know  that  God  is  a  spirit  without  ma- 
terial body  from  multitudes  of  passages  which  do 
not  directly  state  the  fact;  as  "In  the  beginning 
God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth,"  and  "I  am 
the  first  and  the  last,"  which  state  that  He  existed  be- 
fore there  was  anything  else,  (hence  before  there 
was  any  matter  even  for  a  body  for  Himself,)  and 
that  He  will  be  after  matter  has  ceased  to  be.  Also 
by  every  passage  stating  that  God  is  invisible,  omni- 
present, omniscient,  omnipotent,  unchangeable,  etc; 
and  by  the  descriptions  of  heaven  as  a  spiritual 
place,  in  which  "flesh  and  blood"  cannot  enter,  (this 
being  the  usual  term  for  the  ordinary  fleshly  body.) 

5.  God  is  eternal — '"Eternal"  means  without  be- 
ginning on  the  one  hand,  without  end  on  the  other, 
and  without  change  between.  See  any  good  dic- 
tionary. God  is  the  uncaused,  great  First  Cause  of 
all  else  which  is  created.  He  was  always  Perfect, 
and  hence  for  him  to  change  would  be  to  become 
imperfect,  or  less  than  God — to  throw  away  his 
very   Divinity! 


5o 

Gen.   1:1;   In  the  beginning  God — (before   anything  else  was.) 

Deut.  33:27;  The  eternal  God  is  thy  dwelling  place,  and  un- 
derneath are  the  everlasting  arms. 

Ps.  90:2;  Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth,  or  ever 
thou  hadst  formed  the  earth  and  the  world,  even  from  ever- 
lasting to  everlasting,  thou  art   God. 

Ps.    93 :2 ;    Thou    art    from    everlasting. 

Is.   44:6;    I   am  the  first,  and   I    am   the  last.. 

Isa.    57:15;    The   high   and   lofty   One   that   inhabiteth   eternity. 

Mai.  3:6;  For  I,  Jehovah,  change  not;  therefore  ye,  O  sons 
of  Jacob,   are  not  consumed. 

Rom.    16:26;   The- eternal   God. 

6.    God  is  unchangeable. 

James  1:17;  The  Father  of  lights,  with  whom  can  be  no  var- 
iation,   neither    shadow    that    is    cast    by    turning. 

Rev.  22:13;  I  am  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the  first  and 
the   last,    the   beginning   and   the   end. 

See   also    Ps.    145:13;    Isa    40:28-31;    Rom.    1:20. 

(b)  THE  ATTRIBUTES  OR  CHARACTERIS- 
TICS OF  GOD. 

i.  God  is  invisible  to  fleshly  eyes — He  cannot 
be  seen  by  us  with  these  bodies,  because  He  is  pure 
spirit,  as  we  have  seen  that  the  Bible  teaches  em- 
phatically. 

Fx.  33 :20 ;  Thou  canst  not  see  my  face ;  for  man  shall  not 
see  me  and  live.  ("Face"  in  Hebrew  very  often  means  immedi- 
ate   "presence".) 

John   1:18;   No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time. 

John  6:46;  Not  that  any  man  hath  seen  the  Father,  save 
he"  that  is  from  God,  he  hath  seen  the  Father. 

Col.    1:15;    The    image    of    the    invisible    God. 

I  Tim.  1:17;  Now  unto  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  invisi- 
ble,  the  only  God. 

I  Tim.   6:16;   Whom  no  man  hath  seen,  nor  can  see. 

I  John  4:12;  No  man  hath  beheld  God  at  any  time. 

See   also   Deut.    4:15;    Job    9:11    and   23:8,9;    Rom.    1:20. 

2.  God  is  omnipresent — "Present  everywhere  at  the 
same  time." — (Dictionary).  This  refers  to  God's 
personal  presence,  not  to  the  presence  of  his  an- 
gels, or  any  one  but  Himself. 

I  Kings  8 :27 ;  Behold,  the  heaven  of  heavens  cannot  contain 
thee. 

Ps.  139:7-10;  Whither  shall  I  go  from  thy  Spirit?  or  whith- 
er shall  I  flee  from  thy  presence?  If  I  ascend  into  heaven, 
thou  art  there ;  if  I  make  my  bed  in  Sheol,  behold,  thou  art 
there.  If  I  take  the  wings  of  the  morning,  and  dwell  in  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  sea,  even  there  shall  thy  hand  lead 
me. 

Isa.  57:15;  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place;  with  him 
also  that  is  of  a   contrite  and  humble   spirit. 

Jer.  23:24;  Do  not  I  fill  heaven  and  earth?  saith  Jehovah. 
(Also    v.    23.) 

Fph.    1:23;   Him  that  filleth  all  in  all. 

See  also  Isa.  66:1;  Acts  17:24;  I  Cor.  12:6;  Prov.  15:3. 


5i 

3.  God  is   omniscient — knows    everything. 

I  Kings  8:39;  Thou,  even  thou  only,  knowest  the  hearts  of 
all    the   children    of    men. 

Job  26:6;  Sheol  [the  abode  of  the  dead]  is  naked  before  God, 
and    Abaddon    [destruction]    hath    no    covering. 

Job.    37:16;    Him   who   is   perfect   in   knowledge. 

Ps.    147:5;    His    understanding    is    infinite. 

Ps.  139:2;  Thou  knowest  my  downsitting  and  mine  uprising; 
thou  understandest  my  thought  afar  off.  3.  Thou  searchest 
out  my  path  and  my  lying  down,  and  art  acquainted  with  all 
my  ways.  4.  For  there  is  not  a  word  in  my  tongue,  but  lo, 
O  Jehovah,  thou  knowest  it  altogether.  5  Thou  hast  beset 
me  behind  and  before,  and  laid  thy  hand  upon  me.  6.  Such 
knowledge  is  too  wonderful  for  me ;  it  is  high,  I  cannot  attain 
to  it.      (Read  the  whole  Psalm.) 

Prow  15  :33  ;  The  eyes  of  Jehovah  are  in  every  place,  keeping 
watch  upon  the  evil  and  the  good. 

Matt.   6:6;   Thy   Father   who  seeth  in  secret 8.      Your 

Father  knoueth  what  things  ye  have  need  of,  before  ye  ask  him. 

Heb.  4:13;  All  things  are  naked  and  laid  open  before  the  eyes 
of  him  with  whom  we   have  to  do. 

4.  God  is  omnipotent— all  powerful,  Almighty. 

Gen.  1:1;  God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth.  (This 
means  everything  in  the  whole  universe,  matter  included.  Noth- 
ing but  Himself   existed   before.) 

Gen.   17:1;  I  am  God  Almighty. 

I  Chr.  29:11;  Thine,  O  Jehovah,  is  the  greatness,  and  the 
power,   and  the  glory,   and   the   victory,    and   the   majesty. 

Job.    26:14;    The   thunder   of  His   power   who   can   understand? 

Ps.  77:15;  The  voice  of  Thy  thunder  was  in  the  whirlwind; 
the  lightnings  lightened  the  world;  the  earth  trembled  and 
shook. 

Isa.  40:12;  Who  hath  measured  the  waters  in  the  hollow  of 
his  hand,  and  meted  out  heaven  with  the  span,  and  compre- 
hended the  dusi:  of  the  earth  in  a  measure,  and  weighed  the 
mountains  in  scales,  and  the  hills  in  a  balance?  (Read  the 
whole  sublime  chapter.) 

Eph.  3:20;  Him  that  is  able  to  do  exceeding  abundantly  above 
all  that  we  ask  or  think. 

5.  God  is  holy — absolutely  free  from  all  taint  of 
sin,  past  or  present. 

Levit.   19:2;   I  Jehovah  your  God  am  holy. 

Deut.  32:4;  His  work  is  perfect;  for  all  his  ways  are  jus- 
tice; a  God  of  faithfulness  and  without  iniquity,  just  and  right 
is  he. 

Ps.  92:15;  To  show  that  Jehovah  is  upright;  he  is  my  rock, 
and  there  is  no  unrighteousness  in  him. 

Isa.  5:16;  Jehovah  of  hosts  is  exalted  in  justice,  and  God  the 
Holy  One  is  sanctified  in  righteousness. 

Isa.  6:3;  (the  seraphim)  And  one  cried  unto  another,  and 
said,  Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  Jehovah  of  hosts :  the  whole  earth 
is  full  of  his  glory.  And  the  foundations  of  the  thresholds 
shook  at  the  voice  of  him  that  cried,  and  the  house  was  filled 
with   smoke. 

Isa.  57:15;  The  high  and  lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  eternity, 
whose  name  is  Holy. 


52 

Matt.   5 :48 ;  As  your  heavenly  Father  is  perfect. 

Heb.    12:29;   For  our  God   is   a  consuming  fire.    (Against  sin.) 

See  also  Fx.   3:5;   Ps.    11:7,   99:3,   5,  9. 

6.  God  is  incomprehensible — He  is  so  infinitely, 
above  us  human  beings  that  we  can  never  fully 
understand  Him,  though  we  can  learn  enough  of 
Him  from  His  word  and  works  to  lead  us  to  love 
and  worship  and  faithfully  serve  Him,  if  we  will  be 
led.     This  is  the  chief  purpose  of  the  Bible. 

Job.  11-7;  Canst  thou  by  searching  find  out  God?  Canst 
thou  find  out  the  Almighty  unto  perfection?  8.  It  is  high 
as  heaven;  what  canst  thou  do?  Deeper  than  Sheol ;  what 
canst  thou  know? 

Job.  36:26;  Behold,  God  is  great,  and  we  know   him  not. 

Job.  37:5;  God  thundereth  marvellously  with  his  voice; 
Great  things  doeth  he,  which  we  cannot  comprehend.  23. 
Touching   the   Almighty,    we   cannot   find    him   out. 

Rom.  11:33;  O  the  depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom 
and  knowledge  of  God !  how  unsearchable  are  his  judgments, 
and  his  ways  past  tracing  out.  34.  For  who  hath  known  the 
mind   of  the   L,ord?     or   who   hath  been  his   counsellor? 

See   also    Fee.    8:17;    Ps.    145:3. 

(c)  AS  TO  THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  TRIN- 
ITY. 

i.  God  the  Father. — As  the  preceding  passages 
chiefly  refer  to  and  describe  God  the  Father  with 
the  Son  and  Spirit  as  One,  it  is  unnecessary  to 
quote  further  Scripture.  It  should  perhaps  be  noted, 
however,  that  the  terms  Father  and  Son  as  applied 
to  God  do  not  convey  in  the  remotest  possible  de- 
gree any  idea  of  physical  parentage,  such  as  is  a 
part  of  Mormon  teaching.  It  is  clearly  untrue  to 
imply  physical  relationships  of  beings  who  have  no 
physical  natures,  but  are  purely  spiritual,  as  we  have 
already   found  the   Bible   to   teach   clearly. 

2.     God  the   Son— Jesus   Christ. 

(a)  The  Son  was  eternal,  without  beginning,  as  the 
Word. 

John  1:1;  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  [meaning  Christ] 
and   the   Word   was    with    God,   and   the   Word   was    God. 

Col.  1:17;  And  he  is  before  all  things,  and  in  him  all  things 
consist. 

Col.  2:9;  For  in  him  dwelleth  all  the  fullness  of  the  God- 
head bodily. 

I  Peter  1 :20  ;  Who  was  foreknown  indeed  before  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world,  but  was  manifested  at  the  end  of  times 
for  your   sake. 

(b)  He  zvas  bom  on  earth — as  a  human  babe,  tak- 
ing on  himself  temporarily  a  human  body,  and 
thus  became  the  God-Man,  the  Incarnation,  for 
our  salvation  from  sin. 


53 

Luke  1:35;  And  the  angel  answered  and  said  unto  her,  The 
Holy  Spirit  shall  come  upon  thee,  and  the  power  of  the  Most 
High  shall  overshadow  thee;  wherefore  also  the  holy  thing 
which  is  begotten  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God.  (See  also 
Matt.     1:20.) 

John  1:14;  And  the  Word  became  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us, 
(and  we  beheld  His  glory,  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  from 
the    Father.) 

Phil.  2:6,7;  Who,  existing  in  the  form  of  God,  [in  eternity] 
counted  not  the  being  on  an  equality  with  God  as  a  thing 
to  be  grasped,  but  emptied  himself,  [of  his  glory]  taking  the 
form  of  a  servant,  being  made  in  the  likeness  of  men. 

(c)  The  purpose  of  His   earning   to   earth. 

Matt.  1:21;  And  thou  shall  call  His  name  Jesus,  for  it  is  he 
that  shall   save  his  people  from  their  sins. 

John  1:29;  Behold,  the  Lamb  of  God,  that  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the   world ! 

John  3:16;  For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his 
only-begotten   Son,   that   whosoever  believeth   on  him  should   not 

perish,    but    have    eternal    life 17.     That    the    world    should 

be    saved    through    him. 

Col  1:14;  In  whom  we  have  our  redemption,  the  forgiveness 
of  our  sins. 

2  Tim.  1:10;  ....Christ  Jesus,  who  abolished  death,  and 
brought   life   and   immortality   to   light   through   the   gospel. 

Since  God  is  a  being  of  pure  spirit,  it  was  necessary  for  Christ 
thus  to  take  upon  himself  a  fleshly  body  in  order  to  make  it  pos- 
sible for  men  to  become  acquainted  with  Him  and  His  truth 
here,  and  that  He  might  be  the  closing  sacrifice  for  sin  on  the 
cross.  If  God  had  already  been  a  being  of  fleshly  body,  as 
is  taught  in  Mormonism,  this  would  not  have  been  either  neces- 
sary, or  even  possible.  One  cannot  take  upon  himself  what  he 
already  has  on. 

(d)  The   atonement  of   Christ. 

(i)  Christ  was  both  the  final  Priest  and  Offering 
for  sin  {exec pi  as  in  Rev.  20:6,  etc.) 

Hebrews  5:1-10;  For  every  high  priest,  being  taken  from 
among  men,   is   appointed   for   men   in  things   pertaining  to   God, 

that   he   may   offer   both   offerings   and   sacrifices   for   sins 10. 

Named  of   God   a   high   priest   after   the   order   of   Melchizedek. 

Heb.  7:26,  27;  For  such  a  high  priest  became  us,  holy,  guile- 
less, undefiled,  separated  from  sinners,  and  made  higher  than 
the  heavens;  who  needeth  not  daily,  like  those  high  priests, 
to  offer  up  sacrifices,  first  for  his  own  sins,  and  then  for  the 
sins  of  the  people;  for  this  he  did  once  for  all,  when  he  offered 
up   himself. 

(2)  Christ  died  for  our  personal  sins,  not  for  those 
of  Adam.  (Read  John  18th  and  19th  chapters,  and 
Matt.  27,  for  the  great  History  of  this  event.) 

Isa.  53:4-6;  Surely  he  hath  borne  our  griefs,  and  carried 
our  sorrows ;  yet  we  did  esteem  him  stricken,  smitten  of  God, 
and  afflicted.  But  he  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  he 
was  bruised  for  our  iniquities ;  the  chastisement  of  our  peace 
was  upon  him;  and  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed.  All  we  like 
sheep  have  gone  astray;  we  have  turned  every  one  to  his  own 
way ;  and  Jehovah  hath  laid  upon  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all. 


54 

Rom.  4:25;  Who  was  delivered  up  for  our  trespasses,  and  was 
raised  for  our  justification.  (Not  to  provide  for  a  fleshly  resur- 
rection of  our  bodies,  but  for  the  eternal  life  of  our  souls  with 
God.) 

I  Cor.  15  :3  ;  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to  the  scrip- 
tures. 

Gal.  3:13;  Christ  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  hav- 
ing become    a   curse    for   us. 

Eph.  1:7;  In  whom  we  have  our  redemption  through  His 
blood,   the  forgiveness   of  our   trespasses. 

Titus  2:14;  Who  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem 
us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a  people  for  his 
own  possession,   zealous  of  good   works. 

I  Peter  2:24;  Who  his  own  self  bare  our  sins  in  his  body  on 
the  tree,  that  we,  having  died  unto  sins,  might  live  unto  right- 
eousness ;  by  whose  stripes  ye  were  healed. 

I  John  1:7;  The  blood  of  Jesus  his  Son  cleanseth  us  from 
all   sin. 

I  John  2 :2 ;  And  he  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins ;  and  not 
for  ours  only,  but  also  for  the  whole  world. 

Rev.  1:5;  Unto  him  that  loveth  us,  and  loosed  us  from  our 
sins  by   His  blood. 

(See   also   I   Cor.   6:11;    Heb.   9:14.   and   references.) 

(3)  The  Resurrection  of  Christ.  (Read  Matt.  28 
and  John  20  for  the  wonderful  story. 

Acts  2:24;  Whom  God  raised  up,  having  loosed  the  pangs 
of  death;  because  it  was  not  possible  that  he  should  be  holden 
of  it. 

Acts  3:15;  And  killed  the  Prince  of  life;  whom  God  raised 
from    the    dead;    whereof    we    are    witnesses. 

I  Cor.  15:3;  That  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to  the 
scriptures ;  and  that  he  was  buried ;  arid  that  he  hath  been 
raised  on  the  third  day  according  to  the  scriptures ;  and  that 
he   appeared   unto    Cephas; (see   verses   on   to   the   8th.) 

I  Peter  1:3;  Begat  us  again  unto  a  living  hope  by  the  res- 
urrection of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead.... 21.  Who  through 
him  are  believers  in  God,  that  raised  him  from  the  dead,  and. 
gave  him  glory;    so  that  your   faith   and   hope  might  be  in    God. 

Rev.  1:17,18  (a  message  from  Christ  in  eternity) — I  am  the 
first  and  the  last,  18.  and  the  Living  one;  I  was  dead,  and 
behold,  I  am  alive  for  evermore,  and  I  have  the  keys  of  death 
and  of  Hades. 

3.    God  the  Holy  Spirit  and  His  Work. 

(a)  He  is  as  truly  a  person,  divine,  and  eternal, 
as  is  God  the  Father,  or  God  the  Son;  and 
is  no  more  truly  a  spirit  than  they  are;  because  He 
is  one  with  them,  as  we  have  seen  already  under 
the  heading  of  the  Trinity.  The  pronouns  denot- 
ing personality,  as  He  instead  of  it,  are  generally 
if  not  always  applied  to  Him  in  the  Word.  He  is 
in  every  way  spoken  of  and  treated  as  a  Per- 
son, and  as  very  God;  and  nearly  everything  that 
is  said  of  God  the   Father  or  God  the   Son  is  also 


55 
said   of   Him.     Never   is    He   spoken   of   as   a   mere 
substance,   or   influence.      Let   us   be   careful   not   to 
dishonor  Him  in  this  way,  as  is  often  done. 

(b)  The  Holy  Spirit  helped  create  the  world. 

Gen.    1:2;    The    Spirit    of    God    moved    upon    the    face   of   the 
iters. 

(c)  He   inspired    the    Bible. 

2  Peter  1  :21  ;  Men  spake  from  God,  being  moved  by  the 
Holy   Spirit.      (Also   Acts  2S:25,   I    Cor.   2:13.) 

(d)  He  convicts  and  regenerates  the  sinner.  His 
influence  in  this  respect  is  given  to  all,  and  all  can 
yield  (surrender)  to  Him  if  they  will.  Upon  this 
their  destiny  depends. 

John  3:5;  Except  one  be  born  of  water  and  the  Spirit, 
he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  (Read  with  this 
verses  6  to   18.) 

John  16  :S;  And  he,  when  he  is  come,  will  convict  the  world 
in  respect  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment. 

(e)  He  -witnesses  with  the  spirits  of  God's  saved 
children. 

Rom.  8:15;  But  ye  have  received  the  spirit  of  adoption, 
whereby  we  cry,  Abba,  Father.  The  Spirit  himself  beareth 
witness    with   our   spirits,    that   we   are   children   of   God. 

(.0     He  establishes  and  keeps  the  Christian. 
Eph.    1:13,    14;    (Christ) ...  .in  whom,     having  also     believed, 
ye  were  sealed  with  the   Holy   Spirit   of  promise,    14.      which   is 
in    earnest    of    our    inheritance,    unto    the    redemption    of    God's 
)\vn   possession. 

(g)  He  dzvells  in  and  daily  leads  the  Christian. 
John  14:16;  And  I  will  pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give 
yon  another  Comforter,  that  he  may  be  with  you  for  ever, 
ven  the  Spirit  of  truth;  whom  the  world  [the  unsaved]  cannot 
eceive;  for  it  beholdeth  him  not,  neither  knoweth  him;  ye 
now  him,  for  he  abideth  with  you,  and  shall  be  in  you. 
John   15:26;   He  shall  bear  witness  of  me. 

John   16:13;    When  he,  the   Spirit  of  truth,    is  come,   He   shall 
guide    you    into    all    the.,  truth.      (Using    chiefly    the    Bible,    Eph. 
17.) 

Rom.  8:14;  For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  these 
ire    the    sons    of    God. 

(h)     He  comforts  and  satisfies  the  Christian. 

John  7:38,  39;  He  that  believeth  on  me,  as  the  scripture 
hath  said,  from  within  him  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water. 
But  this  spake  he  of  the  Spirit,  which  they  that  believed  on  him 
were  to  receive. 

Rom.  15:13;  Now  the  God  of  hope  fill  you  with  all  joy  and 
peace  in  believing,  that  ye  may  abound  in  hope,  in  the  power  of 
the    Holy    Spirit. 

(See  John    14:18;   Rom.    5:5;  8:26;    14:17,  etc.)     - 
(0     He  gives  power  for  Christian  sen-ice. 

Zech.  4:6;  Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit, 
saith  Jehovah  of  hosts. 

Acts  1 :8 ;  But  ye  shall  receive  power,  when  the  Holy  Spirit 
is   come  upon   you;    and  ye  shall   be   my    witnesses.  ..  .unto   the 


56 

uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  (See  the  previous  promise  of 
Christ,  in  Luke  24:49;  and  the  fulfillment  of  both  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost,  Acts  2 ;  the  Spirit  being  the  power  which  gave 
birth  to  the   Christian  church  on  that  day.) 

I  Cor.  12:4;  Now  there  are  diversities  of  gifts,  but  the  same 
Spirit. 

(;')     How  the  Holy  Spirit  may  be  obtained. 

Luke  11:13;  (by  simple  asking,  with  the  life  fully  surren- 
dered to  God.)  How  much  more  shall  your  heavenly  Father 
give  the   Holy    Spirit   to  them  that  ask   him? 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  Spirit 
is  only  given  through  some  ordinance,  or  that  His 
presence  is  usually  evidenced  by  miraculous  signs 
or  wonderful  feelings.  Such  is  far  from  the  case. 
We  must  carefully  distinguish  between  the  spec- 
ial bestowment  of  the  Spirit  for  miraculous  ends, 
which  existed  in  the  very  early  church,  and  the 
measure  of  his  presence  which  is  promised  to  every 
true  Christian  now.  The  former  often  enabled  the 
person  to  do  miraculous  things  for  the  furtherance 
of  the  gospel;  the  other  was  and  still  is  manifes- 
ted in  the  quiet  graces  of  the  Christian  charac- 
ter and  service  as  set  forth  in  such  passages  as 
the  following,  in  addition  to  those  already  quoted 
under  headings    (e)    to   (h)   above: 

Gal.   5:18;   But  if  ye  are  led  by  the  Spirit,  ye  are  not  under 

the  law 22.     But  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace, 

long-suffering,  kindness,  goodness,  faithfulness,  23.  meekness, 
self-control;    against    such   there   is   no    law. 

There  is  also  a  special  "enduement  of  power  from 
on  high"  in  the  Spirit,  which  is  sometimes  given 
now  to  enable  God's  servants  to  meet  extraordinary 
needs  for  Christian  service,  which  somewhat  cor- 
responds to  the  early  gifts.  But  it  is  manifested 
in  spiritual  power  over  the  souls  of  men,  and  i'n  ex- 
traordinary grasp  of  and  ability  to  present  saving 
truth,  instead  of  in  physical  manifestations,  of  which 
Paul  himself  thought  lightly  in  comparison  with 
higher  things: 

1  Cor.  14:18,  19;  I  thank  God,  I  speak  with  tongues  more 
than  you  all ;  howbeit  in  the  church  I  had  rather  speak  five 
words  with  my  understanding,  that  I  might  instruct  others  also, 
than  ten  thousand  words  in  a  tongue. 

It  seems  probable  that  even  in  the  Apostolic 
church  the  usual  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  the 
same  as  now,  of  the  quiet,  spiritual  character  and 
evidence;  as  His  regular  work  now  is  that  which 
is  generally  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament,  and 


57 
St.  Paul  clearly  implies  that  all  in  the  church  did 
not  have  the  extraordinary  gifts,  (I.  Cor.  12:  29,  30) 
though  all  had  the  Spirit,  (verses  4,  7,  13.)  It  is 
doubtless  this  measure  of  the  Spirit  which  is  referred 
to  when  it  is  said,  (John  20:22)  that  Christ  breathed 
on  the  disciples,  and  said,  "Receive  ye  the  Holy 
Spirit/'  thus  communicating  Him  to  them ;  and  of  which 
the  promise  in  Luke  11:  13  was  made  to  all  who 
should  ask  God,  (of  course  with  proper  conditions 
of  character,  etc.;)  while  other  passages,  as  Acts 
2:38  and  the  references  to  the  various  Christians 
being  filled  with  the  Spirit,  Luke  1:41,  67;  Acts  4:31, 
6:3.  5;  7o5;  11:24;  doubtless  are  of  mixed  application. 
There  is  no  ordinance  by  which  the  Spirit  is  es- 
pecially received ;  the  ordinary  measure  of  his 
presence,  implied  in  the  passages  above,  is  never 
even  spoken  of  in  connection  with  any  ceremony 
whatever.  And  in  only  three  cases  is  the  more  spec- 
ial measure  of  the  Spirit  received  in  connection  with 
any  ceremony,  (Acts  8:15-17,  9-17,  and  19-6;)  while 
the  most  pronounced  instances  of  all  are  without  any 
observance  whatever.  These  are  the  cases  at  the  cen- 
turion's house,  when  the  Spirit  ''fell"  on  the  people 
when  Peter  had  only  begun  to  preach,  before  any 
one  of  the  people  there  had  even  been  baptized, 
(Acts  10:44  and  11:15;)  and  the  great  outpouring 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  the  hundred  and 
twenty  disciples,  at  least,  received  the  greatest  gift 
of  the  Spirit  ever  given,  without  the  possibility  of 
any  ordinance.  To  say  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  "con- 
ferred"' only  by  men  through  laying  on  of  hands, 
and  cannot  be  secured  in  any  other  way,  is  to  make 
God  less  than  His  creatures,  and  to  go  contrary  to 
the  whole  genius  of  the  Scriptures.  God  does  not 
deal  with  tus  in  that  way.  If  such  had  been  the  rule, 
He  would  so  have  stated  in  the  Word,  instead  of 
giving  His  mightiest  blessings  of  that  kind  other- 
wise.    A  careful  study  of  the  subject  of 

LAYING    ON    OF    HANDS 

will  show,  that  such  a  custom  existed  even  in  the 
Old  Testament  times,  indicating  blessing  or  bene- 
diction, or  even  confessing  of  sin;  (Lev.  16:  21-24; 
Gen.  48:  14)  that  Christ  so  blessed  little  children 
(Mark  10:16;)  and  his  disciples  at  the  Ascension, 
(Luke  24:50)    and  in  his   early  ministry  often  worked 


58 
miracles  likewise;  (Mark  6:  5;  8:  23;  Luke  13:13;)! 
that  Paul  did  the  same  (Acts  28:8);  that  ordination 
with  laying  on  of  hands  is  mentioned  five  times  (Acts! 
6:6,  13:3,  I.  Tim.  4:14,  5:22,  2  Tim.  1:6);  with  three 
instances  where  it  is  used  in  connection  with  the  Holy 
Spirit,  (already  noted.)  It  is  also  mentioned  once  ab- 
stractly as  a  teaching  of  the  church,  (Heb.  6:2.) 
If  the  practice  of  the  early  Church  had  been  uniform, 
even  that  might  not  have  constituted  a  real  rule  for 
usjsbut  it  was  evidently  not  uniform,  though  laying 
on  of  hands  was  common  in  the  time  of  the  Apos- 
tles in  this  connection.  The  case  seems  then,  to 
be  this:  That  the  simple  facts  of  need,  the  re- 
quired preparation  of  heart,  and  genuine  asking, 
will  always  bring  the  gift  of  the  Spirit  in  such  meas- 
ure as  the  individual  requires;  and  no  other  but  the 
Christian  can  possibly  have  the  Spirit  within  at  all. 
His  only  work  for  the  sinner  is  to  convict  him  of 
sin,  righteousness  and  judgment,  (John  16:8.) 
WHAT  THE  BIBLE  TEACHES  ABOUT   MAN 

(By   "man"    is  meant   the   whole   human   race.) 

I.  His  creation  and  fall.  (Create  means  "to 
bring    into    being;    originate." — Dictionary.) 

(a)  He  was  created  by  God  Himself,  on  this 
earth,  his  body  before  his  soul. 

Gen.  1:27;  And  God  created  man  in  his  own  image,  in  the 
image  of  God  created  he  him;  male  and  female  created  he  them. 
(As  God  is  pure  spirit,  the  likeness  to  him  must  be  in  man's 
spiritual    nature,    and    not   physical;    as    already    stated.) 

Gen.  2:7;  (second,  detailed  account)  And  Jehovah  God  formed 
man  out  of  the  dust  of  the  ground,  and  breathed  into  his  nos- 
trils the  breath  of  life;  and  man  became  a  living  soul.  (Note  that 
both  body  and  soul  were  created  on  this  earth,  and  the  body 
first;  and  that  it  was  after  the  breath  was  breathed  into  the 
body  that  the  man  "became"  a  living  soul;  implying  again  that 
this  was  the  beginning  of  his  entire  existence.  One  cannot 
become    what   he   is   already.) 

(b)  He  was  created  pure  and  innocent. 

Gen.  1:27;  In  the  image  of  God  (in  holiness  as  well  as  in 
his    spiritual    nature.) 

Eccles.    7 :29 ;    God   made  man   upright. 

(c)  He  yielded  to  Satan  and  became  sinful  by 
wilful  transgression. 

Gen.  2:17;  (God's  command)  But  of  the  tree  of  the  knowl- 
edge  of  good   and   evil,   thou   shalt   not  eat   of  it. 

Gen.  3:6;  She  took  of  the  fruit  thereof,  and  did  eat;  and  she 
gave   also  unto  her  husband  with  her,   and   he   did   eat. 

Gen.  2:17;  (the  penalty.)  In  the  day  that  thou  eatest  there- 
of thou   shalt  surely  die.      (Also   see   Gen.    3:1    to   21,   giving  the 


59 

physical  aspects  of  the  penalty  in  more  detail.  Even  if  Adam's 
sin  planted  the  seeds  of  physical  death  in  the  human  race,  as 
may  be  the  case,  the  fact  is  insignificant  compared  with  the  aw- 
ful fact  of  SIX  which  thus  came  into  the  world,  and  the  spiritual 
separation  from  God  (spiritual  death)  which  was  its  great  and 
instantaneous  effect.  The  word  "death"  in  the  Bible  is  used 
in  three  senses;  (1)  Physical  death;  (2)  Spiritual  separation 
from  God  by  sin  here;  and  (3)  Separation  from  God  forever  as 
penalty  hereafter.  In  Josh.  1:1  the  word  clearly  means  death 
of  the  body;  in  I.  John  3:14,  "We  know  that  we  have  passed 
out  of  death  into  life.... He  that  loveth  .not  abideth  in  death" 
the  word  as  clearly  means  spiritual  death,  which  is  separation 
from  God  by  sin,  while  yet  alive  in  the  body — out  of  which 
spiritual  death  regeneration  takes  us;  Col.  2:13,  "And  you, 
being  dead  through  your  trespasses did  He  make  alive  to- 
gether with  him,  having  forgiven  us  all  our  trespasses,"  and 
Rev,  20:14;  "This  is  the  second  death,  even  the  lake  of  fire. 
And  if  any  was  not  found  written  in  the  book  of  life,  he  was 
cast  into  the  lake  of  fire,"  clearly  refer  to'  the  final  and  eternal 
separation    in    perdition. 

2.  His  destiny.  If  he  continues  in  this  sinful 
state,  his  future  can  only  be  that  which  belongs  to 
sin  and  rebellion — suffering,  being  shut  away  from 
God  and  all  good  spirits  and  things,  and  shut  in 
with  Satan  and  all  other  wicked  beings — the  "sec- 
ond death"  which  comes  after  the  death  of  the  body, 
as  spoken  of  above.  For  Scripture  passages,  see 
under  "Hades"  and  "Hell"  on  pages  77,  83.  If  he 
is  saved  from  this  sinful  state,  by  the  gospel  plan 
as  given  below,  his  future  life  will  be  with  God  and 
all  the  good,  in  joy  beyond  our  present  power  of 
conception.     See  references  under  "Heaven",  page  82 

3.  HOW  CAN  MAN  BE  SAVED  FROM  SIN  AND  ITS  PUN- 
ISHMENT? (To  "save"  a  soul  means  to  rescue  from 
sin   and    its    results.      See    page  66  also.) 

(a)     What  Sin  is,  How  it  Comes,  and   its  Penalty. 
(1)     Sin   a  wilful  rebellion     against  duty     and 
God. 

Gen.  3  :6 ;  And  when  the  woman  saw  that  the  tree  was  good, 
she  took  of  the  fruit  thereof,  and  did  eat;  and  she  gave  also  to 
her  husband  with  her,  and  he  did  eat.  (Both  knowing  God's 
command  and  that  they  were  disobeying  it.  This  was  about 
4,000  years  before  Christ,  according  to  the  marginal  dates.) 

Gen.  6:12;  And  God  saw  the  earth,  and  behold  it  was  cor- 
rupt; for  all  flesh  had  corrupted  their  way  upon  the  earth. 
(3,000  years  before  Christ.) 

Gen.  8:21;  For  that  the  imagination  of  man's  heart  is  evil 
from  his  youth.      (About  600  years  later,  2,350  before  Christ.) 

Ps.  14:2;  Jehovah  looked  down  from  heaven  upon  the  children 
of  men,  to  see  if  there  were  any  that  did  understand,  that  did 
seek  after  God.     3.     They  are  all  gone  aside ;  they  are  together 


6o 

become  filthy;  there  is  none  that  doth  good,  no,  not  one.     (About 
1,300    years    later,    1,050    B.    C.) 

Rom.  3:10-12;  (1,100  years  later,  Paul's  time)  quotes  this  last 
as  true  then,  with  a  detailed  picture  of  the  awful  sin  of  the 
world.      Read  verses   9   to    18. 

(2)  HOW    SIN    COMES    INTO    HUMAN    LIFE. 

By  each  soul  choosing  for  himself  to  ck*  known 
wrong.      See    above    passages,    and    also 

James  1:14;  But  each  man  is  tempted,  when  he  is  drawn 
away  of  his  own  lust  [wrong  desire]  and  enticed.  15.  Then 
the  lust,    when   it   hath   conceived,   beareth   sin. 

(3)  How  God  views  sin  and  how  all  men  should 

VIEW    IT — WITH     ABHORRENCE. 

Gen.  6:5,  6;  And  Jehovah  saw  that  the  wickedness  of  man  was 
great  in  the  earth,  and  that  every  imagination  o-f  the  thoughts 
of  his  heart  was  only  evil  continually.  And  it  repented  Jehovah 
that  he  had  made  man  on  the  earth,  and  it  grieved  him  at  his 
heart. 

Deut.  25:16;  For  all  that  do  such  things,  even  all  that  do  un- 
righteously,   are   an   abomination   unto   Jehovah   thy    God. 

Deut.  32:19;  (speaking  of  idolatry)  And  Jehovah  saw  it,  and 
abhorred  them,  because  of  the  provocation  of  his  sons  and 
daughters.  (Likewise  in  Ps.  78:59;)  When  God  heard  this,  he 
was  wroth,  and  greatly  abhorred  Israel. 

Prov.  15:9;  The  way  of  the  wicked  is  an  abomination  to  Je- 
hovah ;  but  He  loveth  him  that  followeth  after  righteousness. 

L,uke  16:15;  But  God  knoweth  your  hearts;  for  that  which 
is  exalted  among  men  is  an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God. 

Rom.  7:24;  (Paul  speaking  of  his  struggles  with  sin;)  Wretch- 
ed man  that  I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me  out  of  the  body  of  this 
death? 

(4)  The  inevitable  results  of  sin,  both  natural 
and    as    imposed   penalty. 

Gen.  2:17;  In  the  day  that  thou  eatest  thereof,  thou  shalt 
surely  die.  (Separation  of  soul  from  God,  who  is  holy,  the  in- 
evitable, awful  result  of  sin ;  perhaps  physical  death,  also,  though 
this  is  of  slight  comparative  importance.) 

Gen.  3:17;  Cursed  is  the  ground  for  thy  sake;  19.  In  the 
sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread,  till  thou  return  to  the 
ground ;  for  out  of  it  was  thou  taken ;  for  dust  thou  art,  and 
unto  dust  shalt  thou  return. 

Deut.  31:29;  And  evil  will  befall  you  in  the  latter  days;  be- 
cause ye  will  do  that  which  is  evil  in  the  sight  of  Jehovah,  to 
provoke    him    to    anger   through   the   work   of   your    hands. 

Isa.  57:20,21;  But  the  wicked  are  like  the  troubled  sea;  for 
it  cannot  rest,  and  its  waters  cast  up  mire  and  dirt.  There  is 
no  peace,  saith  my  God,  to  the  wicked. 

Matt.  7:23;  And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew 
you;  depart  from   me,  ye  that  work  iniquity.      (Word  of  Christ.) 

Matt.  23:33;  Ye  serpents,  ye  offspring  of  vipers,  how  shall  ye 
escape  the  judgment  of  hell?  (Words  of  Christ  to  Scribes  and 
Pharisees,  who  were  among  the  best  people,   outwardly.) 

Matt.  25:41;  (Words  of  Christ  at  the  Judgment.)  Depart  from 
me.  ye  cursed,  into  the  eternal  fire  which  is  prepared  for  the 
devil  and  his  angels.      (Read  the  whole  passage,  verses  31  to  46.) 


OI 

Gal.  6:7;  Be  not  deceived;  God  is  not  mocked;  for  whatso- 
ever a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap.  8.  For  he  that 
soweth  unto  his  own  flesh  shall  of  the  flesh  reap  corruption;  but 
he  that  soweth  unto  the  Spirit  shall  of  the  Spirit  reap  eternal 
life. 

Rev.  20:14;  This  is  the  second  death,  even  the  lake  of  fire.  15. 
And  if  any  was  not  found  written  in  the  book  of  life,  he  was 
cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.  (The  final  punishment  forever  of  those 
who  do  not  yield  to  Christ.) 

(b)     God's  Part  in  Saving  a  Soul. 

(i)  To  provide  an  atonement,  which  shall  en- 
lighten and  constrain  the  sinner  to  repentance,  and 
whereby  God  can  pardon  his  sin  without  destroying 
His  moral  government  in  the  world.  (See  for  pas- 
sages  under   Atonement,  pages  53  and  54. 

2.      To     CONVICT     THE       SOUL     OF     ITS     TERRIBLE       GUILT. 

Millions  are  blindly  going  the  downward  road,  not 
realizing  their  awful  condition  before  God.  The 
sick  man  will  not  send  for  the  doctor  till  he  real- 
izes his  need;  so  the  soul  will  not  cry  for  pardon 
till  it  is  convinced — convicted — of  its  own  sinful 
condition  in  the  sight  of  God.  This  is  the  first 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  sinner's  soul — to  so 
reveal  his  condition  by  the  Word,  that  he  may  be 
led  to  fly  to  Christ  for  pardon  and  salvation. 

John  16:8;  And  he,  when  he  is  come,  will  convict  the  world 
in  respect  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment ;  9.  of 
sin,  because  they  believe  not  on  me  (do  not  surrender  to  God  in 
Christ,    so   far   as   they   know   the  truth.) 

Ps.  51:3;  (David  convicted)  For  I  know  my  transgressions, 
and  my  sin  is  ever  before  me.  Against  thee,  and  thee  only, 
have  I  sinned,  and  done  that  which  is  evil  in  thy  sight.  (Read 
whole    Psalm.) 

Isaiah  58:1;  Cry  aloud,  spare  not,  lift  up  thy  voice  like  a 
trumpet,  and  declare  unto  my  people  their  transgression,  and 
to  the  house  of  Jacob  their  sins.      (Read  the  whole  chapter.) 

Luke  15:17;  (Effect  of  the  Spirit's  work  when  He  is  accept- 
ed in  the  sinner's  soul;)  But  when  he  came  to  himself,  he  said, 
How  many  hired  servants  of  my  father's  have  bread  enough 
and  to  spare,  and  I  perish  here  with  hunger!  I  will  arise, 
and  go  to  my  iather,  and  will  say  unto  him,  Father,  I  have 
sinned  against  heaven,  and  in  thy  sight:  19.  I  am  no  more 
worthy  to  be  called  thy  son:  make  me  as  one  of  thy 
hired   servants.      (Read  the   whole   parable— verses    11    to   32.) 

(3)       TO   REGENERATE,   OR   GIVE   THE    NEW   BIRTH    TO   THE 

soul.  This  is  purely  the  work  of  God  in  the  heart 
of  his  wayward  child.  When  the  sinner  does  his 
part  (see  next  section),  so  that  he  is  ready  for  God 
to  do  His,  the  mighty  change  is  wrought  in  the  soul 
by  the  Spirit  of  God,  which  is  compared  to  being 
born  over  again  from  heaven.       This  makes  the     per- 


62 

son  henceforth  a  child  of  God  spiritually,  loving 
Him  and  seeking  His  will,  instead  of  loving  self 
and  Satan  and  following  them.  No  ordinance  or 
good  works  whatever  can  produce  this  change; 
it  is  God's  own,  direct  work  in  the  soul,  and  nothing 
else  is  salvation. 

Fzek.  36 :26 ;  A  new  heart  also  will  I  give  you,  and  a  new 
spirit  will  I  put  within  you ;  and  I  will  take  away  the  stony 
heart  out  of  your  flesh,  and  I  will  give  you  a  heart  of  flesh.  27. 
And  I  will  put  my  spirit  within  you,  and  cause  you  to  walk  in 
my  statutes.  ...  29.  And  I  will  save  you  from  all  your 
uncleannesses. 

John  3:3;  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  [to  Nicodemus, 
a  very  good  Jew,  and  one  of  their  church  rulers]  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  thee,  Except  one  be  born  anew  (margin  "from 
above")  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God.  S.  .  .  .  Ex- 
cept one  be  born  of  water  and  the  Spirit  he  cannot  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God.  6.  That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh 
is   flesh ;    and    that    which   is   born    of   the    Spirit   is    spirit. 

Rom.   8:2;    For  the  law   of  the  Spirit  of  life  in   Christ  Jesus 

made  me  free  from  the  law  of  sin   and  of  death 

6.  For  the  mind  of  the  flesh  is  death ;  but  the  mind  of  the 
Spirit  is  life  and  peace.  .  .  .  15.  But  ye  received  the  spirit 
of  adoption,  whereby  we  cry,  Abba,  Father.  16.  The  Spirit 
himself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit,  that  we  are  the  chil- 
dren  of  God. 

(4)       To   KEEP  THE  SOUL  THUS   SAVED  FROM   WANDERING 

back  again.  If  the  soul  were  left  alone  after  re- 
generation, Satan  being  the  stronger,  every  soul 
would  soon  be  lost  again  in  sin.  .But  God  takes 
care  of  those  who  have  committed  themselves  to 
Him,  and  while  they  yet  could  go  away,  he  protects 
them  from  final  loss. 

Ps.  138:7;  Though  I  walk  in  the  midst  of  trouble,  thou  wilt 
revive  me;  .  .  .  and  thy  right  hand  will  save  me.  8.  Je- 
hovah will  perfect  that  which  concerneth  me. 

Ps.  37:24;  Though  he  fall,  he  shall  not  be  utterly  cast  down; 
for  Jehovah  upholdeth  him  with  his  hand.  28.  For  Jehovah 
loveth  justice,  and  forsaketh  not  his  saints ;  they  are  preserved 
forever. 

2  Tim.  1:12;  For  I  know  him  whom  I  have  believed,  and  I 
am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  guard  that  which  I  have  com- 
mitted   unto    him    against    that    day. 

2  Tim.  4:18;  The  I,ord  will  deliver  me  from  every  evil  work, 
and  will  save  me  unto  his  heavenly  kingdom. 

(c)     Man's    Part    in    Saving    Himself. 

While  no  soul  can  do  any  good  deeds  whatever 
by  which  to  earn  or  merit  salvation,  there  is  one 
all-important  condition  which  he  must  fulfill  in 
his  own  heart,  without  which  all  God's  work  for 
his  salvation  will  be  of  no  avail.  He  must  respond 
in  his  heart  to  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which 


63 

we  have  already  studied.  (See  above.)  As  a  rebel- 
lious child  in  the  home  must  "give  up"  to  the  author- 
ity of  the  parent  before  the  father  or  mother  can 
treat  him  as  other  than  a  rebellious  and  naughty 
child,  because  till  then  he  will  continue  to  be  such, 
so  it  is  with  us  towards  God.  This  submitting  or 
surrendering  to  God  is  the  one  thing  which  we  can 
and  must  do  before  God  will  forgive  our  sins  and 
thus  save  us.  The  sinner's  will  is  rebellious;  he 
can  thus  give  it  up  and  choose  God's  way  for  the 
rest  of  his  life,  whenever  the  Spirit  shows  him  his 
duty.  The  Bible  puts  this  point  in  various  prac- 
tical ways,  but  always  insists  upon  it,  and  never 
upon  anything  else,  as  our  part  in  getting  salva- 
tion. Even  a  good  life  here,  in  God's  sight,  is  im- 
possible without  it.  This  absolute  SURRENDER 
TO  GOD  and  acceptance  of  Christ  as  our  Savior 
is  the  heart  at  once  of  both  repentance  and  faith 
for  salvation.  God  cannot  wisely  compel  us  to  sur- 
render, since  he  has  given  each  one  free  control 
over  his  own  acts;  but  the  Holy  Spirit  strives  to 
lead  and  persuade  us  to  do  it,  and  we  can  yield  to 
Him  if  we  will  to  do  so.  Refusing  to  do  this  is 
refusing  God  and  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  as  if  they 
were  unworthy  of  notice,  and  is  perhaps  man's 
most  wicked  sin,  which  if  persisted  in  will  become 
unpardonable  and  finally  drive  away  the  Spirit  of 
God. 

Ezek.  18:31;  Cast  away  from  you  all  your  transgressions, 
wherein  ye  have  transgressed ;  and  make  you  a  new  heart  and 
a  new  spirit;  for  why  will  ye  die,  O  house  oi  Israel?  [We 
"make  a  new  heart"  by  "giving  up"  to  God,  as  above.]  Where- 
fore turn  yourselves  [exactly  the  thought  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment word  "repent,"   and  involving  this  surrender,]    and  live. 

The  writer  some  time  ago  collected  all  the  impor- 
tant passages  which  he  found  in  the  whole  Bible 
bearing  directly  on  the  question  which  we  are  now 
considering,  stated  as  "What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?" 
Some  others  have  since  been  added  to  the  list, 
making  83  in  all,  of  which  the  most  important,  about 
half,  are  all  for  which  we  have  room  here.  These 
are  given  below,  and  should  be  most  carefully 
studied;  comprising,  as  it  is  believed  that  they  do, 
all  the  most  weighty  utterances  of  God  to  men  on 
the  most  important  subject  pertaining  to  human 
souls. 


64 

WHAT  MUST  I  DO  TO  BE  SAVED?     CLASSI- 
FIED PASSAGES. 

i.  The  most  important  of  those  making  repent- 
ance   PROMINENT. 

Ezek.    18:31;   See  last  passage  quoted  above. 

Matt.  18:3;  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Except  ye  turn,  [repent] 
and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  the 
kingdom   of  heaven. 

Luke  15:7;  Even  so,  I  say  unto  you,  there  is  joy  in  heaven 
over   one  sinner  that  repenteth. 

Luke  15:11  to  31; — read  the  whole  parable  of  the  Prodigal 
Son,  which  is  intended  to  illustrate  both  sin  and  salvation ; 
and  in  which  the  fate  of  the  younger  son  turns  for  good  on  his 
repentance. 

Luke  24:47;  That  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should 
be  preached  in  his  name  unto  all  the  nations. 

Acts  2:3S;  Repent  ye,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in 
the   name  of  Jesus   Christ   unto   the   remission   of  your    sins. 

Acts  3:19;  Repent  ye  therefore,  and  turn  again,  that  your 
sins  may  be  blotted  out. 

Acts  11:18;  Then  to  the  Gentiles  also  hath  God  granted 
repentance    unto    life. 

2.  Passages  making  believing  (the  same  as 
faith,   surrender,  etc., )  prominent. 

Mark  16:16;  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved; 
but  he  that  disbelieveth  shall   be  condemned. 

Luke  14:27;  Whosoever  doth  not  bear  his  own  cross,  [sur- 
render]   and   come   after    me,    cannot   be   my   disciple. 

John  3:15;  That  whosoever  believeth  may  in  him  have 
eternal   life. 

John  3:16;  That  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should  not  per- 
ish    but  have   eternal   life. 

John  3:18;  He  that  believeth  on  him  is  not  judged;  he  that 
believeth  not  hath  been  judged  already,  because  he  hath  not 
believed  on  the  only-begotten   Son  of  God. 

John  3:36;  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  eternal  life. 

John  5:24;  He  that  heareth  my  word,  and  believeth  him 
that  sent  me,  hath  eternal  life,  and  cometh  not  into  judgment, 
but  hath  passed  out   of  death   into'  life. 

John  6:29;  This  is  the  work  of  God,  that  ye  believe  on  him 
whom    he    hath    sent. 

John  6:40;  For  this  is  the  will  of  my  Father,  that  every 
one  that  beholdeth  the  Son  and  believeth  on  him,  should  have 
eternal  life ;  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day. 

John  6:47;  Verily  Verily,  I  say  unto  you.  He  that  believeth 
hath  eternal  life. 

John  11:25;  I  am  the  resurrection,  and  the  life;  he  that 
believeth  on  me,  though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live;  and  whoso- 
ever liveth  and  believeth   on   me   shall   never   die. 

Acts  10:43;  To  him  bear  all  the  prophets  witness,  that 
through  his  name  every  one  that  believeth  on  him  shall  re- 
ceive remission  of  sins.  44.  While  Peter  yet  spake  these  words, 
the   Holy   Spirit   fell   on   all   them   that   heard   the   word. 

Acts  13:38-39;  (words  of  Paul)  Through  this  man  is  pro- 
claimed unto  you  remission  of  sins,  and  by  him  every  one  that 


65 

believeth  is  justified  from  all  things,  from  which  ye  could 
not  be  justified  by  the  law  of  Moses. 

Acts  16:31;  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  thou  shalt 
be   saved,   thou  and  thy   house. 

Rom.  1:16;  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel;  for  it  is  the 
power   of   God   unto   salvation   unto   every   one  that   believeth. 

Rom.  3::2S;  A  man  is  justified  by  faith,  [believing]  apart 
from  the  works  of  the  law. 

Rom.  5:1;  Being  therefore  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace 
with   God  through   our   Lord  Jesus   Christ. 

Rom.  10:9;  Because  if  thou  shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth 
Jesus  as  L,ord,  and  shalt  believe  in  thy  heart  that  God  raised 
him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved. 

Gal.  2:16;  Yet  knowing  that  a  man  is  not  justified  by  the 
works  of  the  law  but  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  even  we 
believed  on  Christ  Jesus,  that  we  might  be  justified  by  faith  in 
Christ,  and  not  by  the  works  of  the  law ;  because  by  the 
works  of  the  law  shall  no  flesh  be  justified. 

Eph.  2:8,9;  For  by  grace  have  ye  been  saved  through  faith; 
and  that  not  of  yourselves,  it  is  the  gift  of  God;  not  of  works, 
that  no  man  should  glory. 

3.  Passages  emphasizing  Christ,  the  blood  of 
Christ,  etc. 

Matt.  26:  28;  For  this  is  my  blood  of  the  covenant,  which 
is  poured  out   for  many,  unto   the  remission  of  sins. 

Eph.  1:7;  In  whom  we  have  our  redemption  through  his 
blood,  the  forgiveness  of  our  trespasses,  according  to  the  riches 
of  his  grace. 

Heb.  7:25;  Wherefore  also  he  is  able  to  save  to  the  utter- 
most them  that  draw  near   unto   God   through  him. 

Heb.  9:14;  How  much  more  shall  the  blood  of  Christ,  who 
through  the  eternal  Spirit  offered  himself  without  blemish  unto 
God,  cleanse  your  conscience  from  dead  works  to  serve  the 
living  God? 

I  Pet.  1:18,  19;  Knowing  that  ye  were  redeemed,  not  with 
corruptible  things,  with  silver  or  gold,  from  your  vain  manner 
of  life  handed  down  from  your  fathers;  19.  but  with  precious 
blood,  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without  spot,  even  the 
blood    of   Christ. 

I  Peter  2:24;  Who  his  own  self  bare  our  sins  in  his  body 
upon  the  tree,  that  we,  having  died  unto  sins,  might  live  unto 
righteousness;    by  whose    stripes   ye   were   healed. 

I  John  1:7;  And  the  blood  of  Jesus  his  Son  cleanseth  U3 
from  all  sin. 

4.  All  passages  in  the  New  Testament  in  which 
baptism  is  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  means 
of  salvation. 

Mark  16:16;  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved; 
but  he  that  disbelieveth  shall  be  condemned. 

Acts  2:38;  Kepent  ye,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  the  remission  of  your  sins ;  and 
ye  shall   receive  the  gift  of  the   Holy  Spirit. 

Acts  22:16;  (Ananias  to  Paul)  Arise,  and  be  baptized,  and 
wash    away   thy   sins,    calling   on   his   name. 

(See  other  account  in  Acts  9,  especially  verses   17  and   18.) 

Some  would  also  include  John  3:5  here.  See  our  last  chapter 
under   3. 


66 

The    following   classification    of   the   entire   list   of 
passages    selected,    (numbering  83)    is   very   instruc- 
tive: 
Repentance  is     mentioned     prominently  as 

bringing    salvation    29  times. 

Faith,  or  believing,  (the  same  thing) 43        " 

Surrender     is     made     prominent      (or     terms 

equivalent) 14      " 

Christ,   His  Blood,  or     Sacrifice,  are  made 

prominent 44      " 

The  New  Birth  is  mentioned 4      " 

Grace  is     mentioned 5      " 

Confessing  Christ  is  mentioned 1      " 

Baptism  is  mentioned  in     connection,     but 

not  as  a    condition 3     " 

That  salvation  is  not  by  works  is  stated. ...  11     " 

Since  the  key  alike  to  true  repentance,  genuine 
faith  for  salvation  and  the  New  Birth  is  the  abso- 
lute surrender  to  Christ  for  salvation  and  service 
forever,  we  may  add  these  numbers  together  to 
get  the  number  of  statements  which  teach  surren- 
der as  the  underlying  condition  of  salvation,  and 
the  number  will  be  90.  If  now  we  recall  that  this 
surrender  is  also  the  condition  on  which  the  blood 
and  grace  of  Christ  became  effective  for  us,  and 
likewise  that  it  must  precede  any  genuine  confes- 
sion of  Christ,  we  may  add  50  more,  making  140 
times  in  the  83  passages  in  which  surrender  is 
really  made  the  condition  on  our  part  of  salvation- 
all  the  times  there  are,  for  these  are  all  the  condi- 
tions named  at  all.  Thus  Scripture,  reason  and  the 
experience  of  saved  souls  join  in  this  conclusion. 

WHAT  THE  BIBLE  MEANS  BY  "SAVED,  SALVATION,"  ETC. 

These  wo  ds  are  used  in  two  senses;  the  sense  of 
all  such  passages  as  those  just  given,  and  of  almost 
all  others,  is  the  present  rescue  from  sinning  and 
the  guilt  of  sin,  so  that  the  person  is  no  longer  one 
who  is  characterized  by  sin,  but  by  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ  given  in  his  pardon  and  justification; 
so  that  if  he  should  die  at  once  he  would  go  to  be 
with  Christ  in  happiness  forever.  The  other  sense, 
which  is  comparatively  rare,  refers  chiefly  to  the 
final  outcome  of  life  when  this  first  saved  condi- 
tion has  continued  on  to  death;  as  in  Matt.  10:22  and 
24:13.     There   are   only   about   nine   cases   where     the 


67 

word  has  this  last  sense,  aga'inst  83  where  it  has 
the  former  one.  In  all  ordinary  use  it  must  be  taken 
in  the  sense  of  the  present  salvation  from  which, 
through  the  keeping  grace  of  God,  the  final  salva- 
tion of  entering  heaven  will  come. 


In  the  light  of  the  Scripture  facts  which  are  shown 
above,  no  one  need  be  in  any  doubt  as  to  what  he 
must  himself  do  to  be  saved  from  sin  and  its  pun- 
ishment forever.  The  Scripture  states  the  one 
essential  fact  in  several  ways,  so  as  to  meet  the  dif- 
ferent points  of  view  of  different  human  souls; 
but  they  all  have  at  bottom  the  one  chief  fact  of 
utter  submission  of  the  entire  heart  and  life  to  God 
in  Christ,  for  pardon  and  service.  Is  not  this  clear? 
Is  it  not  the  plainest  possible  duty  of  every  soul? 
Has  anyone  any  right  to  put  it  off  for  another  mo- 
ment after  the  duty  thus  becomes  plain?  May  we 
not,  then,  ask  every  reader  to  stop  here  a  moment 
and  ask  himself  the  one  question,  most  seriously 
and  in  the  sight  of  God.  Have  I  really  and  truly  met 
this  condition,  for  my  own  salvation ?  Have  I  ever 
fully  surrendered  my  whole  being  to  Christ,  in  sin- 
cere repentance  and  godly  sorrow  for  sin  and  con- 
secration to  his  service  forever?  It  is  a  blessed 
experience  to  pass  through,  and  to  have  continue 
as  a  present  fact  through  life;  and  one  may  have  it  so 
continue.  Salvation  is  not  a  thing  of  some  indefinite 
future,  but  is  a  PRESENT  FACT  in  human  exper- 
ience, as  present  as  breathing,  or  as  happiness,  or 
faithfulness,  right  along  day  by  day  through  life. 
It  is  a  consciousness  in  the  soul  that  one's  own 
sins  are  forgiven  through  the  mercy  of  God  and  the 
shed  blood  of  Christ — not  a  mere  theory  that  such 
will  be  the  case  sometime.  "He  shall  KNOW  of  the 
doctrine"  experimentally;  that  all  is  right  between 
him  and  God— nothing  but  love,  harmony,  lov- 
ing service  gladly  rendered  by  us  to  God  as  the  least 
possible  return  for  his  Infinite  love  and  sacrifice 
for  us!  If  a  person  will  truly  make  this  full  surren- 
der to  God  as  above,  taking  Christ  at  his  blessed 
word  (as  in  John  3:16,  for  instance,)  he  will  soon 
know  the  blessedness  of  sins  forgiven  in  his  own 
heart  and  not  for  another.  If  you  do  not  know  this 
by    such    an    experience,    dear    reader,    will    you    not 


68 

settle  the  matter  just  now  with  God?  Eternity  may- 
depend  for  many  upon  the  answer  they  make  to 
this  question.  There  is  no  better  time  than  just 
now  to  settle  the  matter  forever,  if  it  is  yet  unset- 
tled. Salvation  is  a  question  simply  and  only  of  the 
relation  of  the  soul  to  God;  and  as  that  is  settled 
our  eternal  destiny  will  be  decided.  The  writer  would 
gladly  talk  of  this  matter  with  every  reader  of  these 
words,  but  that  is  not  possible,  nor  necessary.  If 
only  this  one  point  is  settled,  the  great  thing  will 
be  settled,  and  the  rest  of  the  Christian  life  will 
naturally  follow.  That  this  may  be  the  case  is  the 
most  earnest  desire  and  prayer  of  the  writer,  a  fel- 
low-pilgrim to  eternity  who  has  known  for  over 
thirty-five  years  the  blessedness  of  sins  forgiven. 
If  after  careful  study  of  what  is  written  here  and 
of  the  Word,  with  action  accordingly,  any  reader  is 
still  in  need  of  help  on  any  point,  a  letter  addressed 
as  on  the  front  cover  of  this  booklet  will  reach  the 
writer  and  bring  reply.  But  as  "the  fear  of  the  Lord 
is  the  beginning  of  wisdom,"  let  each  settle  matters 
with  God  earnestly  to  the  best  of  his  light  first. 
That  will  often  clear  up  difficulties  and  open  up  the 
Word  wonderfully.  It  is  then,  and  not  before,  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  can  come  into  the  heart  and  begin 
to  fulfil  the  Savior's  promise  that  He  should  guide 
us  into  all  truth  (John  16:  7  to  14.)  The  saved  sinner 
lives  in  a  new  world,  in  many  respects;  having  got-' 
ten  right  with  God  he  is  at  a  different  view-point, 
and  can  see  many  things  in  their  true  relations 
to  which  he  was  blind  before.  As  Paul  said  in 
2  Cor.  5:17;  "If  any  man  is  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new 
creature;  the  old  things  are  passed  away;  behold, 
they  are  become  new." 

The  little  printed  form  of  surrender  to  God  on 
the  last  page  may  be  helpful  in  this  connection; 
though  any  form  which  is  genuine  is  all  that  is 
necessary. 

FAITH  AND  WORKS  IN  SALVATION. 

In  the  entire  list  of  passages  referred  to  above, 
salvation  is  promised  on  condition  of  having  faith, 
or  believing  (both  being  the  same  thing)  43  times 
directly  and  more  indirectly.  This  is  the  greatest 
and  most  emphatic  message  of  the  whole  Word  of 


69 

God    about    getting      salvation— that      it    is    by    faith. 
There   is   not   one   passage   to    the   contrary;    and   in 
the   same  list   God  says   eleven   times  over  that  ivorks 
cannot   save   the    soul;    while      whole    pages    more     of 
passages  to     that  effect     might   be  given.      (See     Gal. 
2:16;    and   Eph.   2:     8,   9,   quoted   before.)      The     fact 
is  that  true   faith,    (of  which   surrender  is   the   chief 
element)    is  the     starting  point     of  all     good     works, 
as   God  sees  them,  and  instead  of  works  being  the 
cause  of  salvation,  they  are  the  result  of  it.     Faith 
produces    deeds,     not    deeds    faith    (surrender).       No 
deed'  is  really  good  in  God's  sight  which  does  not 
come  from  a  right   (surrendered)     heart;     and     as 
Christ    said    that    the    deeds    came    forth    from    the 
heart  (Luke  6:45.)  that  must  be  changed  before  the 
deeds   could  be  right;   and   this   change  of  heart   is 
what  we  are  talking  about — salvation.     What   does 
James    mean,    then,    when    he    says    that    "by    works    a 
man   is  justified,  and  not  only  by   faith?"    (Jas.   2:24) 
and  "Even  so  faith,  if  it  have  not  works,  is  dead  in 
itself,"    (verse      17)?      Just    this;      that    mere      head- 
belief,   such   as  the   demons   have  of  whom   he   speaks, 
understanding    certain    facts,    but    entirely    lacking 
the  element  of  surrender  of  which  we  have  spoken 
so  much,  is   dead  as   a   corpse   so   far  as   power  to 
change  a  man's  life  is  concerned;  and  that  thus  the 
real  test  of     whether  one  has     the  true     (surrender) 
faith  or  not  is   found  in  the  results  which  come  into 
the  life  from  it.     Just  as  a  body  which  is  alive  will 
do  something,  so   the     faith     which   is     real   will     be 
active    in    all    good    deeds,-  towards      both    God      and 
man — as    naturally    as    breathing    is    natural    to    a    liv- 
ing body.     But  a  man  may  believe  the  whole  of  theol- 
ogy with   his  head  and   still   be   only  a  very   demon 
in   character,     because  he     simply  will  not     surrender 
to    the    truth    he    knows    and    intellectually   believes, 
nor  to  God  its  Author.    That  is  the  trouble  with  the 
demons   in   hell,    exactly.     They   know,    and   believe 
in  that  sense,  even  so  thoroughly  as  to  make  them 
shudder  at  the  facts  which  they  believe;  but  that  is 
all.     They   would   not    surrender   themselves    to    the 
truth   when   they   had   a   chance,   similar   perhaps   to 
what   we   are   having   now   on    earth.      Shall   we    do 
as  they  did  and  become  what  they  are  in  moral  char- 
acter,   or    do    what    they    ought    to    have    done    and 


7o 

have  a  different  destiny?  If  we  get  the  heart  right 
by  this  genuine,  living  faith,  which,  through  the 
life  of  God  which  it  brings  into  the  soul,  will  shape 
the  whole  life,  outwardly  as  well  as  inwardly,  we 
shall  be  right  before  God  and  man.  If  we  look  mere- 
ly to  certain  outward  deeds  and  neglect  the  abso- 
lute surrender,  we  may  be  pleasing  to  men,  as 
were  the  Pharisees  of  old,  (See  Matt.  23:  25  to  30.) 
but  we  shall  never  be  pleasing  to  God  who  "look- 
eth  on  the  heart"  and  sees  the  same  rebelli- 
ous spirit  and  the  same  sins  and  uncleanness  rul- 
ing there  still.  In  this  case  our  destiny  in  eter- 
nity will  be  with  the  demons  who  knew  the  facts 
but  would  not  surrender  to  them,  and  so  must 
shudder  and  experience  the  punishments  of  God. 
Deeds  which  are  good  in  God's  sight  are  always 
the  result  of  this  genuine  faith  of  surrender,  and 
they  constitute  the  divinely  suggested  test  of  the 
faith;  but  they  NEVER  SAVE  A  SINGLE  SOUL! 
So  both  the  Word  and  reason  say.  Let  us  look  well  to 
our  faith  in  God,  and  not  to  our  own  outward  doings, 
of  whatever  kind. 

Isa.  64:6;  For  we  are  all  become  as  one  that  is  unclean, 
and  all  our  righteousnesses  are  as  a  polluted  garment ;  .  .  . 
and  our  iniquities,  like  the  wind,  take  us  away.  (God's  view 
of  human  deeds,  before  the  heart  is  changed  through  surrender 
to  God.) 

L,uke  17:10;  Even  so  ye  also,  when  ye  shall  have  done  all 
the  things  that  are  commanded  you,  say,  We  are  unprofitable 
servants ;  we  have  done  that  which  it  was  our  duty  to  do. 
(Impossible  to  do  more,  with  which  to  pay  the  debt  of  past 
sin;  as  one  must  do  if  he  is  to  be  saved  by  good  works.) 

Rom.  3:20;  By  the  works  of  the  law  [good  deeds]  shall  no 
flesh  be  justified  in  his  sight;  for  through  the  law  cometh  the 
knowledge'  of  sin. 

Rom.  3 :28 ;  We  reckon  therefore  that  a  man  is  justified  by 
faith,   apart  from   the   works   of   the   law. 

Rom.  9:31;  But  Israel,  [the  Jews]  following  after  a  law  of 
righteousness,  did  not  arrive  at  that  law.  32.  Wherefore?  Be- 
cause they  sought  it  not  by  faith,  but  as  it  were  by  works. 
(Looking  at  the  outward  deeds  and  ceremonies  instead  of  the 
inward  state  of  love  and  faith  towards  Christ.     Matt.  23:23.) 

Gal.  3:10;  For  as  many  as  are  of  the  works  of  the  law  are 
under  a  curse ;  for  it  is  written,  Cursed  is  every  one  who  con- 
tinueth  not  in  all  things  that  are  written  in  the  book  of  the 
law,  to  do  them.  11.  Now  that  no  man  is  justified  (saved) 
by  the  law  before  God,  is  evident ;  for,  The  righteous  shall 
live  by  faith ;  and  the  law  is  not  of  faith ;  but,  He  that  doeth 
them  shall  live  in  them.      (And  no  one  keeps  the  law  perfectly.) 

Gal:  5:6;  For  in  Christ  Jesus  neither  circumcision  availeth 
anything,  nor  uncircumcision  [ordinances,  works] ;  but  faith 
working   through   love. 


.71 

Phil.  3:8,  9  ;  That  I  may  gain  Christ,  and  be  found  m  him, 
not  having  a  righteousness  of  mine  own  [by  his  own  works] 
even  that  which  is  of  the  law,  but  that  which  is  through 
faith  in  Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  from  God  by  faith. 
(As  already  explained,  this  is  the  only  real  righteousness  which 
is  possible  to  any  one.) 

Titus  3:5;  Not  by  wotIcs  done  in  righteousness,  which  we 
did  ourselves,  but  according  to  his  mercy  he  saved  us,  through 
the  washing  of  regeneration  and  renewing  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
.     .     .     7.  Being  justified  by  his   grace. 

James  2:10;  For  whosoever  shall  keep  the  whole  law,  and 
yet  stumble  in  one  point,  he  is  become  guilty  of  all. 

Salvation  is  possible  in  this  life  only,  not  here- 
after. All  possible  emphasis  is  placed  in  Scripture 
upon  the  extreme  importance  of  getting  saved  in 
this  life,  here  and  now.  This  would  hardly  be  hon- 
est if  another  chance  awaited  the  sinner  hereafter. 
The  laws  of  habit  and  fixity  of  character  would 
make  repentance  practically  impossible  after  resist- 
ing God's  grace  through  this  life,  even  if  there 
should  be  any  opportunity  given.  And  many  pas- 
sages of  the  Word  are  emphatically  against  any 
hope  of  future  salvation,  also. 

Prov.  29:1;  He  that  being  often  reproved  hardeneth  his  neck 
shall  suddenly  be  destroyed,  and  that  without  remedy. 

Luke  16:26;  (From  Christ's  picture  of  Hades)  Between  us 
and  you  [the  saved  and  lost]  there  is  a  great  gulf  fixed,  that 
they  that  would  pass  from  hence  to  you  may  not  be  able, 
and  that  none  may  cross  over  from  thence  to  us.  (The  state 
of  all  is  thus  finally  fixed  at  death.) 

2  Cor.  6:2;  Behold,  now  is  the  acceptable  time;  behold,  nozi-  is 
the    day    of    salvation. 

Heb.  3:7,  8;  To-day  if  ye  shall  hear  his  voice,  harden  not 
your  hearts,  as  in  the  provocation.  .  .  .  13.  But  exhort  one 
another  day  by  day,  .  .  .  lest  any  one  of  you  be  hardened 
by  the  deceitfulness  of  sin. 

Heb.  9:27;  And  inasmuch  as  it  is  appointed  unto  men  once 
to  die,  and  after  this  cometh  judgment. 

Heb.  10 :26 ;  For  if  we  sin  wilfully  after  that  we  have  re- 
ceived the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  there  remaineth  no  more  a 
sacrifice  for  sins,  27.  but  a  certain  fearful  expectation  of  judg- 
ment, and  a  fierceness  of  fire  which  shall  devour  the  adversar- 
ies. 

Heb.  12:15;  Looking  carefully  lest  there  be  any  man  that 
falleth  short  of  the  grace  of  God;  .  .  .  17.  [speaking  of 
Esau]  For  ye  know  that  even  when  he  afterward  desired  to  in- 
herit   the    blessing,    he    was    rejected. 

Rev.  22:11;  (Speaking  of  souls  just  before  the  beginning 
of  eternity)  He  that  is  unrighteous,  let  him  do  unrighteousness 
still ;  and  he  that  is  filthy,  let  him  be  made  filthy  still. 

SANCTIFICATION. 

After  regeneration  or  justification,  which  saves  a 
soul  up  to  that  time,  a  great  work  of  ripening  and 


72    . 

perfecting  Christian  character  and  knowledge  is 
still  needed  in  most  cases,  which  is  what  is  referred 
to  in  the  well-Known  and  often  misapplied  verse, 
"Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trem- 
bling." (Phil.  2:12,13.)  This  is  not  spoken  to  sin- 
ners at  all,  but  only  to  those  who  are  already  saved 
in  the  sense  of  being  forgiven,  justified  and  regen- 
erated, but  before  whom  is  still  the  remaining  pro- 
cess of  sanctification  in  the  sense  of  ripening  the 
Christian  character,  maturing  Christian  graces,  and 
winning  victories  over  temptation  and  for  Christ 
in  the  world.  As  we  have  already  seen,  no  soul  can 
work  out  his  own  salvation  in  the  sense  of  regen- 
erating himself.  But  after  the  new  birth  is  given 
him  by  God  through  Christ,  he  must  continue  be- 
ing a  Christian  as  long  as  life  shall  last,  by  the  help 
of  God.  And  this  is  just  what  St.  Paul  is  emphasiz- 
ing here;  for  he  says,  "For  it  is  God  who  worketh  in 
you  both  to  will  and  to  work,  for  His  good  pleasure." 
God's  working  in  us  is  the  source  of  even  our  work- 
ing, to  which  the  Apostle  exhorts  us.  We  cannot 
work  anything  out  which  God  has  not  first  put  in. 
Our  working  is  not  the  source  of  our  first  salvation, 
or  even  of  our  sanctification.  This  last  half  of  the 
verse  is  not  often  quoted  by  those  who  would 
prove  salvation  by  works;  for  it  effectually  over- 
throws any  such  interpretation.  (Note  what  has 
already  been  said  upon  Faith  and  Works,  page  68.) 

WHAT  THE  BIBLE  TEACHES  ABOUT  REVE- 
LATION. 
1.    God  does  reveal   himself  to   man. 

(a)  By  the   natural  world.     Rom.   1:20.) 

(b)  By  His  special  providence  in  daily  life: 

Matt.  16:2,  3;  .  .  .  Ye  know  how  to  discern  the  face  of 
the  heaven ;  but  ye  cannot  discern  the  signs  of  the  times. 

Rom.  8 :28 ;  To  them  that  love  God  all  things  work  together 
for  good. 

Phil.  1:12;  The  things  which  happened  to  me  have  fallen  out 
rather  unto  the  progress  of  the  gospel. 

(c)  By  the  Holy  Spirit's  leadings  to  saved  souls — 
see  passages  under  that  head,  already  given,  page  54 

(d)  Most  of  all  through  the  Bible,  which  con- 
tains God's  record  of  Christ  and  of  His  dealings 
with  men  for  ages,  and  is  full  of  passages  which 
the   Spirit   can   bring   to   our   remembrance   in   time   oi 


73 
need,  if  we  are  only  familiar  enough  with  the  Word  so 
that  He  can  recall  them  to  us.  He  never  gives  pas- 
sages outright,  so  far  as  we  know;  but  limits  His  re- 
pealing work  to  the  range  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Bi- 
ble in  ourselves,  our  friends,  books,  etc.  Hence 
[arises  one  great  need  for  faithful  study,  such  as  this 
booklet  is   designed  to  help. 

John  14:26;  But  the  Comforter,  even  the  Holy  Spirit,  whom 
■  the  tather  will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall  teach  you  all  things, 
and  bring  to  your  remembrance  all  that  I  said  unto  you. 

2.  This  revelation  is  continuous  in  each  of  these 
!  channels.     God  has  not  stopped    communicating  with 

His  saved  ones  through  any  channel  which  they    need. 

He  Himself  has  said,  "I  will  not  leave  you  orphans," 
j  (marginal  reading  and  literal   Greek  in  John   14:18); 

v/e  still  need  and  have  God's  blessed  guidance  and 
[  light  through  all  these  channels,  in  answer  to  pray- 
|  er.     There  is  yet  room  for  ceaseless   learning  from 

God's  revelations   in   Nature,   in   Providence,   by  the 

Spirit's   special   influences,   and  most   of  all   through 

His  blessed  Book  of  Truth. 

3.  But  revelation  is  not  continuous  in  the  sense 
that  God  ever  has  or  ever  will  reveal  any  more  Bi- 
ble than  that  contained  in  the  wonderful  and  unap- 
proachable Book;  or  in  the  sense  that  He  gives 
new  revelations  to  one  person  which  are  binding 
on  another.  The  blessed  Word  is  the  universal  and 
sufficient  storehouse  of  revealed  truth;  and  the 
Spirit  daily  applies  these  wonderful  truths  accord- 
ing to  the  needs  of  men,  if  they  will  live  so  as  to 
let  Him.  Nothing  more  is  necessary  or  would  be 
a  blessing,  and  anything  more  claiming  to  come  from 
God  is  spurious,  no  matter  how  sincerely  people 
may  believe  in  it.  (See  also  under  Revelation  Con- 
tinuous, page  99.)  Some  of  the  chief  Bible  pas- 
sages about  Revelation  are  as  follows: 

Ps.  19:7,  8;  The  law  of  Jehovah  is  perfect,  restoring  the  soul; 
the  testimony  of  Jehovah  is  sure,  making  wise  the  simple.  8. 
The  precepts  of  Jehovah  are  right,  rejoicing  the  heart;  the  com- 
mandment  of  Jehovah   is   pure,    enlightening   the   eyes. 

Ps.  119:9;  Wherewithal  shall  a  young  man  cleanse  his  way? 
By  taking  heed  thereto  according  to  thy  word. 

Ps.  119:18;  Open  thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  behold  won- 
drous things   out  of  thy   law. 

Ps.  119:99,100;  I  have  more  understanding  than  all  my 
teachers ;  for  thy  testimonies  are  my  meditation.  I  understand 
more  than  the  aged,  because  I   have  kept  thy  precepts. 

Ps.    119:129,    130;    Thy    testimonies    are    wonderful;    therefore 


74 

doth    my    soul    keep    them.     The    opening    of    thy    words    givethl 
light ;  it  giveth  understanding  to  the  simple. 

Deut.  4:8;  And  what  great  nation  is  there,  that  hath  stat-l 
utes  and  ordinances  so  righteous  as  all  this  law,  which  I  setl 
before  you  this  day? 

Deut.  6:6:  These  words,  which  I  command  thee  this  day,l 
shall  be  upon  thy  heart ;  7.  and  thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently! 
unto  thy  children. 

Ps.  12 :6 ;  The  words  of  Jehovah  are  pure  words ;  as  silverl 
tried  in  a  furnace  on  the  earth,  purified  seven  times. 

Isa.  40:8;  The  word  of  our  God  shall  stand  forever. 

Jer.  23.29 ;  Is  not  my  word  like  fire,  saith  Jehovah ;  and  likel 
a   hammer  that  breaketh   the  rock   in  pieces? 

Jer.  23:32;  Behold,  I  am  against  them  that  prophesy  lyingl 
dreams,  saith  Jehovah,  and  do  tell  them,  and  cause  my  people! 
to  en  by  their  lies,  and  by  their  vain  boasting ;  yet  I  sent  them! 
not,  nor  commanded  them ;  neither  do  they  profit  this  peoplel 
at  all,  saith  Jehovah. 

Mk.  12  :24 ;  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Is  it  not  for  this  cause  that! 
ye  err,  that  ye  know  not  the  scriptures,  nor  the  power  of  God?| 

John    5:39;    Ye   search   the    scriptures,    because    ye   think   thatl 
in  them  ye  have  eternal  life ;   and  these  are  they  that  bear  wit 
ness   of   me. 

Rom.  10:17;  So  belief  cometh  of  hearing,  and  hearing  by  th< 
word   of   Christ. 

Rom.  15:4;  For  whatsoever  things  were  written  aforetime 
were  written  for  our  learning,  that  through  patience  and  through 
comfort   of  the   scriptures   we   might   have   hope. 

1  Cor.  10:11;  Now  these  things  happened  unto  them  by  way 
of  example ;  and  they  were  written  for  our  admonition,  upon 
whom  the  ends  of  the  ages  are  come.  (The  Bible  is  thus  not 
an  outgrown  book,  but  fits  our  needs  to-day,  completely ;  be- 
cause it  was  inspired  by  God  for  this  very  purpose.) 

Eph.  6:17;  And  take  the  helmet  of  salvation,  and  the  sword 
of  the  Soirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God.  (The  divine  weapon 
by  which  the  Holy  Spirit  does  the  most  of  his  work  in  the 
hearts  of  men.) 

James  1:21;  Receive  with  meekness  the  implanted  word,  whicr 
is  able  to  save  vour  souls. 

2  Peter  1:21;  For  no  prophecy  ever  came  by  the  will  ol 
man;  but  men  spake  from  God,  being  moved  by  the  H0I3 
Spirit. 

2  Tim.  3:16;  Every  scripture  inspired  of  God  is  also  profit 
able  for  teaching,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instructior 
which  is  in  righteousness;  17.  that  the  man  of  God  may  b 
complete,  furnished  completely  unto  every  good  work.  (Not( 
that  the  Bible  "furnishes  completely;"  no  additional  revelatioi 
is  needed. 

Rev.  22:18,  19;  For  I  testify  unto  every  man  that  heareth  th 
words  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book,  If  any  man  shall  add  unt( 
them,  God  shall  add  unto  him  the  plagues  which  are  writtei 
in  this  book ;  and  if  any  man  shall  take  away  from  the  words 
of  the  book  of  this  prophecy,  God  shall  take  away  his  part 
from  the  tree  of  life,  and  out  of  the  holy  city,  which  are  writ 
ten  in  this  book.  (This  refers  primarily  to  the  book  of  Reve 
lation,  but  logically  also  to  all  the  rest  of  the  Bible.) 


75 

WHAT   THE    BIBLE   TEACHES    ABOUT    THE 
CHURCH   OF   CHRIST. 

The  Church  of  Christ  in  a  locality,  as  we  find  it 
in  the  New  Testament,  was  the  regular  assembly  of 
those  who,  in  that  place,  were  the  followers  of 
Christ,  holding  to  the  doctrine  and  practice  of  Chris- 
tianity as  we  now  find  them  in  the  Bible.  This 
church  was  the  successor  of  the  Jewish  church  in 
the  divine  plan  for  the  salvation  of  the  world,  but 
it  was  in  most  respects  very  different;  and  its  ex- 
istence began  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost.  It  was  not 
established  by  Christ  while  he  was  in  the  flesh.  Its 
organization  was  not  given  by  Him  in  person;  He 
ordained  His  disciples  to  establish  the  churches  in 
their  missionary  work  after  He  should  have  begun 
the  church  at  Pentecost;  and  its  formal  organization 
seems  to  have  been  a  gradual  growth,  as  the  need 
of  each  office  became  apparent;  under  the  same 
guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  which  Christians  have 
enjoyed  ever  since,  and  which  has  beyond  doubt 
led  to  modifications  in  the  early  details  of  organization 
in  many  cases,  as  the  needs  changed.  The  church 
is  not  a  cast-iron  machine  1,800  years  old,  but  a 
living  organism,  of  which  the  living  Christ  is  the 
Head  and  indwelling  Life,  as  the  human  soul  is 
the  life  and  controlling  power  in  a  human  body. 
The  church  exists  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out 
the  will  of  her  Lord,  as  our  bodies  exist  for  the 
work  we  wish  to  do;  her  work  is  the  completion 
of  that  which  Christ  came  to  earth  to  do — the  salva- 
tion of  sinners  and  the  perfection  of  the  characters  of 
saints. 

Acts  2:1  to  5;  (the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  at  Pente- 
cost. Verse  41  notes  the  birth  of  the  Church,  after  Peter's  ser- 
mon;) 41.  Then  they  that  received  his  word  were  baptized ;  and 
there  were  added  to'  them  in  that  day  about  three  thousand 
souls.  .  .  .  47.  And  the  Lord  added  to  them  day  by  day 
those  that  were  saved.  (Note  this  one  condition  of  member- 
ship; that  they  were  saved  souls — those  who  had  given  their 
ives  to  Christ  and  had  been  pardoned,  receiving  the  sign  of 
hat  fact  in  baptism.) 

Acts  6:1  to  8;  (The  choice  of  deacons  made,  when  the  need 
irose. ) 

Acts  13:1  to  3;  Now  there  were  at  Antioch,  in  the  church 
hat  was  there,  prophets  and  teachers ;  .  .  .  And  as  they 
ainistcred  to  the  Lord,  and  fasted,  the  Holy  Spirit  said,  Sep- 
.rate  me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work  whereunto  I  have 
ailed    them.     Then,     when    they    had    fasted    and    prayed    and 


76 

laid  their  hands  on  them,  they  sent  them  away.  (Note  that 
"prophets"  and  "teachers"  are  the  same — see  whole  chapter, 
and  the  life  of  Paul  afterwards.) 

Acts  14:23;  And  when  they  [Barnabas  and  Saul]  had  ap- 
pointed for  them  elders  [or,  presbyters,  the  older  men,  I  Tim. 
5:1]  in  every  church,  and  had  prayed  with  fasting,  they  com- 
mended them  to  the  Lord,  on  whom  they  had  believed.  (These 
churches  were  at  Lystra,  Iconium,  and  Antioch  in  Asia  Minor.) 

Acts.  15:1  to  35;  Judaizing  teachers  having  come  to  Antioch 
(in  Syria)  teaching  that  circumcision  was  necessary  to  salvation, 
contrary  to  the  doctrine  of  Paul  and  Barnabas,  the  church  at 
Antioch  appointed  Paul  and  Barnabas  to  go  to  Jerusalem  to  the 
apostles  and  elders  about  the  matter.  They  met  and  counseled 
together,  and  the  council  sent  others  back  with  them,  upholding 
the  true  doctrine,  that  the  Jewish  ordinances  were  not  neces- 
sary. Read  the  whole  chapter,  showing  how  difficulties  were 
settled  by  mutual  discussion  and  advice,  and  how  the  early 
missionary  work  was   done. 

Acts  20:17-3S;  (Paul's  farewell  instructions  to  the  church 
at  Ephesus)  ;  And  from  Miletus  he  sent  to  Ephesus  and  called 
to  him  the  elders  [margin  "presbyters"]  of  the  church.  .  .  . 
28.  (gives  the  duty  of  these  officers)  Take  heed  unto  yourselves, 
and  to  all  the  flock,  in  which  the  Holy  Spirit  hath  made  you 
bishops  (margin  "overseers,"  referring  to  all  the  elders),  to 
feed  the  church  of  the  Lord  which  he  purchased  with  his  own 
blood.      (Read  whole  chapter;   see  also   I   Peter  5:1-4.) 

I  Cot.  12: — the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  diversity  of  gifts 
and  duties  in  the  early  church.  Read  the  whole,  carefully. 
Verses  27-28  note  the  order  of  importance  or  the  gifts;  27.  "Now 
ye  are  the  body  of  Christ,  and  severally  members  thereof.  28. 
And  God  hath  set  some  in  the  church,  first  appostles,  secondly 
prophets,  thirdly  teachers,  then  miracles,  then  gifts  of  healings, 
helps,  governments,  divers  kinds  of  tongues."  Some  of  these 
were  only  needed  for  the  first  establishment  of  the  church,  or 
its   infancy,    and    then    ceased    to    be. 

I  Cor.  12:27; — the  church  is  the  body  of  Christ,  his  present 
incarnation,  to  do  his  will  and  carry  on  his  work. 

Eph.  1:22;  And  gave  to  him  to  be  head  over  all  things  to  the 
church,  23.  Which  is  his  body,  the  fulness  of  him  that  filleth  all 
in    all. 

I  Tim.  i  :2  to  14  gives  the  qualifications  for  the  office  of 
bishop,  deacon,  elder,   etc.* 

I  Tim.  3:15;  Which  is  the  church  of  the  living  God,  the 
pillar  and  ground  of   the   truth. 

The  church  is  to  hold  up  the  truth.  I.  Tim.  3:15 
and  I  Cor.  12  are  spoken  of  the  whole  church  uni- 
versal on  earth,  often  called  the  invisible  church; 
including   all   saved   souls,   who   are   also   sometimes 


*  Robinson's  Lexicon  of  New  Testament  Greek  (p.  284),  says 
of  the  Greek  word  episcopos,  translated  "overseer"  or  "bishop  : 
"In  N.  T.  spoken  of  officers  in  the  primitive  churches,  an  over- 
seer, superintendent.  .  .  .  This  was  originally  simply  the 
common  Greek  name  of  office,  equivalent  to  presbuteros  [elder, 
presbyter],  which  latter  was  a  Jewish  term.  ...  In  later 
ecclesiastical  usage,  a  bishop."  See  likewise  Smith's  Bible  Dic- 
tionary, Vol.  1,  p.  310;  Schaff-Herzog  Enc,  Vol.  1,  p.  298, 
Thayer's    Lexicon,   etc. 


77 
called  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth.  Who  can  be- 
long rightly  and  really  to  any  visible  church?  Only 
those  who  have  been  received  into  the  church  in- 
visible by  God;  which  means  those  who  have  really 
been  "born  from  above"  through  Christ,  so  that 
they  are  "new  creatures  in  Christ  Jesus,"  spiritually 
in   His   likeness. 

WHAT  THE  BIBLE  TEACHES  ABOUT  THE 
FUTURE  LIFE. 

i.  There  is  such  a  life.  See  the  Bible  throughout; 
as  Job.  14:14,15;  Ps.  16:11;  Eccl.  12:7,14;  Luke  20:37, 
38;  and  all  statements  about  rewards  and  punish- 
ments hereafter,  etc. 

2.  Hades,  or  the  intermediate  state  between 
death  and  the  judgment.  Hades  is  a  Greek  word, 
which  is  often  translated  "hell"  in  the  King  James' 
version,  though  not  in  the  Revised.  It  means 
strictly  the  state  into  which  all  souls  enter  at  death, 
lasting  until  the  Judgment;  and  the  word  itself  does 
not  discriminate  between  the  good  and  bad  condi- 
tions in  that  state.  The  same  idea  is  expressed  in 
the    Old    Testament    by    the    Hebrew    word    Sheol. 

Matt.  16:18;  Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church;  and  the 
gates  of  Hades  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 

Luke  16:23;  And  in  Hades  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in 
torments. 

Rev.   1:18;  And  I  have  the  keys  of  death  and  of  Hades. 

Rev.  6:8;  A  pale  horse;  and  he  that  sat  upon  him,  his  name 
was  Death;  and  Hades  followed  with  him. 

Rev.  20:14;  And  death  and  Hades  were  cast  into  the  lake  of 
fire.     This  is  the  second  death,  even  the  lake  of  fire. 

(a)  Hades  consists  of  two  divisions;  one  for  the 
good,  called  Paradise,  and  the  other  for  the  bad, 
called  Gehenna.  The  Jews  held  that  the  evil  part 
was  the  lower  one;  and  they  named  the  upper  por- 
tion Paradise,  or  "Abraham's  bosom." 

Luke  16:23-25.  And  in  Hades  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in 
torments,  and  seeth  Abraham  afar  off,  and  Lazarus  in  his  bosom. 
And  he  cried  and  said,  Father  Abraham,  have  mercy  on  me, 
and  send  Lazarus,  that  he  may  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in  water, 
and  cool  my  tongue ;  for  I  am  in  anguish  in  this  flame.  But 
Abraham  said,  Son,  remember  that  thou  in  thy  lifetime  re- 
ceivedst  thy  good  things,  and  Lazarus  in  like  manner  evil  things; 
but  now  he  is  comforted,  and  thou  art  in  anguish. 

Luke  23:43;  (Words  of  Christ  to  the  thief  on  the  cross) 
Verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  To-day  thou  shalt  be  with  me  in  Para- 
dise. 

2  Cor.  12:4;  (Words  of  Paul  about  himself;)  How  that  he 
was  caught  up  into  Paradise,  and  heard  unspeakable  words. 


78 

(b)  There  is  no  crossing  over  from  one  division  to 
the  other.  The  state  of  every  soul  is  fixed  at  death 
or  before,  in  this  world,  as  already  shown. 

Luke  16:26;  Between  us  and  you  there  is  a  great  gulf 
[chasm]  fixed,  that  they  that  would  pass  from  hence  to  you 
may  not  be  able,  and  that  none  may  cross  over  from  thence  to 
us. 

There  seems  to  be  no  other  way  to  understand 
this  passage  than  that  the  moral  condition  of  each 
class  of  souls  is  fixed  beyond  recall  or  change  as 
soon  as  they  enter  the  next  world,  if  indeed,  not 
perhaps  long  before,  in  this  world.  The  utter  use- 
lessness  of  any  attempt  to  change  their  condition 
is  thus  evident;  if  Abraham  could  not  give  the  lost 
rich  man  the  help  of  even  one  .drop  of  water  to 
lessen  his  sufferings,  his  condition  must  have  been 
hopeless  indeed.  And  all  the  Word  is  in  line  with 
this  fact;  see  the  rest  of  this  same  statement  by 
Christ,  in  which  the  rich  man  next  asks  that  Laz- 
arus may  be  sent  back  to  his  brethren,  who  are  sin- 
ning as  he  used  to  do — merely  going  the  way  of 
worldly  men — and  is  answered: 

Luke  16:31;  If  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  nei- 
ther will  they  be  persuaded,  if  one  rise  from  the  dead. 

This  life  is  the  only  time  to  repent;  the  next 
world  will  be  too  late.  This  fact  should  have  strong- 
est emphasis,  lest  souls  throw  away  their  only 
chance  in  this  world,  by  trusting  to  another  which 
can  never  come. 

Prov.  14:32;  The  wicked  is  thrust  down  in  his  evil-doing; 
but  the  righteous  hath  a  refuge  in  his  death. 

1  Cor.  11:31,  32;  But  when  we  are  judged,  we  are  chastened 
of  the  Lord,  that  we  may  not  be  condemned  with  the  world. 
("The  apostle  is  speaking  of  sickness  and  death  brought  upon 
wayward  believers,  to  save  them  from  final  ruin  with  the 
worldly". — Pres.    J.    H.    Fairchild,    Theology.) 

2  Cor.  5:10;  For  we  must  all  be  made  manifest  before  the 
judgment-seat  of  Christ;  that  each  one  may  receive  the  things 
done  in  the  body,  according  to  what  he  hath  done,  whether  it 
be  good   or  bad. 

Heb.  9:27;  It  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die,  and  after 
this  cometh  judgment. 

3.  The  resurrection.  The  Scriptures  teach  that 
all  human  beings  who  have  died  before  that  time 
comes  will  experience  the  resurrection.  This  and 
similar  expressions  are  often  used  in  the  sense  merely 
of  having  a  future  life,  instead  of  cur  existence  ending 
with  death,  as  outward  appearance  would  seem  to 
indicate   that   it   did.      (See    1    Cor.    15:32;    I    Thess. 


79 
4:13,14)-  In  this  view  death  is  spoken  of  as  an 
enemy,  which  has  seemingly  crushed  life  and  all  its 
hopes  in  the  grave;  and  the  resurrection  as  a  tri- 
umph in  bringing  the  life  out  to  a  better  sphere  in 
heaven.  (Acts  24:15;  John  5:25-29;  6:39).  Much  of 
the  Scripture  language  referring  to  this  subject  is 
illustrative,  having  reference  to  the  common  mode 
of  burial  in  graves  or  sepulchres,  as  "raise  up,"  "the 
grave,"  "coming  forth,"  etc. ; — for  the  resurrection 
will  most  certainly  apply  as  much  to  those  whose  bod- 
ies were  buried  in  the  sea,  cremated,  burned  alive,  or 
otherwise  disposed  of  in  ways  to  which  such  language 
could  not  truly  be  applied,  as  to  others.  The 
great  truth  to  be  remembered  is  that  God  will  make 
another  life  result  from  this  one,  for  every  soul, 
good  or  bad.  For  the  resurrection  will  be  to  some 
"to  life"  in  the  fullest  sense  of  happiness  with  God 
in  heaven,  and  to  others  it  will  be  to  "shame  and 
everlasting   contempt."    (Daniel    12:2). 

Ps.  49:15;  But  God  will  redeem  my  soul  from  the  power  of 
Sheol ;   for  he  will  receive  me. 

Ps.  17:15;  As  for  me,  I  shall  behold  thy  face  in  righteous- 
ness ;  I  shall  be  satisfied,  when  I  awake,  with  beholding  thy 
form. 

Hosea  13:14;  I  will  ransom  them  from  the  power  of  Sheol; 
I  will  redeem  them  from  death ;  O  death,  where  are  thy 
plagues?   O    Sheol,    where  is  thy   destruction? 

Luke  20:35;  They  that  are  accounted  worthy  to  attain  to 
that  world,  and  the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  neither  marry, 
nor  are  given  in  marriage :  36.  For  neither  can  they  die  any 
more:  for  they  are  equal  unto  the  angels;  and  are  sons  of 
God,  being  sons  of  the  resurrection.  37  But  that  the  dead  are 
raised,,  even  Moses  showed,  in  the  place  concerning  the  Bush, 
when  he  called  the  Lord  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of 
Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob.  Now  he  is  not  the  God  of  the 
dead,  but  of  the  living;   for  all  live  unto   him. 

John  11:25;  I  am  the  resurrection,  and  the  life;  he  that 
believeth  on  me,  though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live ;  26.  and  who- 
soever liveth  and  believeth  on  me  shall  never  die  [the  spirit- 
ual death]. 

Acts  24:15;  That  there  shall  be  a  resurrection  both  of 
the  just   and  unjust. 

Rom.    4:17;    God,    who    giveth    life   to    the    dead. 

Rom.  8:11;  But  if  the  Spirit  of  him  that  raised  up  Jesus 
from  the  dead  dwelleth  in  you,  he  that  raised  up  Christ  Jesus 
from  the  dead  shall  give  life  also  to  your  mortal  bodies  through 
his  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  you. 

1  Cor.  6:14;  God  both  raised  the  Lord,  and  will  raise  up  us 
through   his   power. 

2  Tim.  1:10;  Who  abolished  death,  and  brought  life  and 
immortality  to  light  through  the  gospel. 

The        Resurrection      Body.     The      same      questions 


8o 

which  are  asked  to-day  about  the  resurrection  body 
were  also  asked  in  Paul's  time;  the  cavils  of  infi- 
delity are  all  of  them  about  nineteen  hundred  years 
old,  and  the  questions  of  the  trembling  Christian's 
faith  likewise.  Paul  answers  them  all  in  I  Cor.  15 — 
the  wonderful  Resurrection  Chapter  of  the  Word  of 
God — verses  35  to  53;  and  every  one  should  study 
this  whole  chapter  most  carefully,  especially  if  he 
is  troubled  in  this  respect.  Paul  here  insists  that 
the  essential  identity  of  this  fleshly  body  will  be 
in  the  resurrection  body.  Nothing  else  could  make 
it  ours,  in  any  such  sense  as  is  evidently  meant.  But 
he  as  strongly  teaches,  so  far  as  can  be  seen,  that 
the  actual,  physical,  material  particles  of  these 
earthly  bodies  will  not  enter  into  the  *  resurrection 
body.  The  identity  is  in  something  besides  the  ac- 
tual particles  of  "flesh  and  blood"  which  make  up 
these  bodies.  This  world  is  material;  the  other 
spiritual;  these  bodies  are  often  the  greatest  clog 
and  hindrance  to  the  soul;  those  will  always  be  a 
help.  As  President  James  H.  Fairchild  admirably 
says  in  his  Elements  of  Theology,  page  316;  "Paul 
nowhere  intimates  that  the  gross  material  of  which 
our  bodies  here  are  composed,  will  constitute  the 
body  of  the  Resurrection;  the  contrary  is  implied: 
Flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God, 

neither  doth  corruption  inherit  i'ncorruption 

What  the  connection  between  our  present  bodies  and 
the  future  may  be,  we  have  no  further  light,  and 
no  Scripture  basis  for  a  theory;  and  every  theory 
on  this  subject  is  a  mere  human  fancy."  The  one 
thing  certain  is  that  these  present,  material  bodies 
cannot  enter  heaven,  which  is  a  place  for  spirit  only. 
It  makes  no  difference  to  us  now  what  the  spiritual 
body  may  be;  it  is  enough  to  know  that  it  will  not 
hinde*    the   soul,   and   will   meet   all    our   needs. 

In  this  connection  it  is  often  asked,  What  be- 
came, then,  of  Christ's  flesh  and  blood  body?  Did 
He  not  take  it  into  heaven  with  Him?  Did  not  Ste- 
phen see  Him  there  with  it?  Note  passages  under 
"God  is  a  Spirit,"  page  49.  There  are  many  questions 
which  a  child  can  ask  which  the  wisest  man  on  earth 
cannot  answer.  But  one  thing  we  do  know  about 
this;  the  Word  of  God  says  that  "flesh  and  blood 
cannot  inherit  the  Kingdom  of  God."  (I  Cor.  15:50). 


8i 
Paul  was  speaking  of  this  very  point  in  this  verse; 
and  there  can  be  no  possible  doubt  that  his  expres- 
sion "flesh  and  blood"  is  the  very  one  which  means 
the  earthly,  physical  human  body;  for  this  was  the 
current  expression  and  was  used  by  Christ  in  the 
same  sense  (Matt.  16:17.)  We  are  therefore  shut 
up  to  the  fact  of  the  exclusion  of  material  forms 
from  the  spiritual  realm.  But  instead  of  suffering 
any  loss  from  that  fact,  we  shall  be  gainers  by  it, 
beyond  our  power  at  present  to  conceive.  The 
manner  in  which  God  Himself  exists  is  beyond 
measure  superior  to  any  mere  earthly  mode.  The 
probability  as  to  the  body  of  Christ  seems  to  the 
writer  to  be  this;  that  it  passed  through  the  same 
change  which  we  are  told  will  come  to  the  bodies 
(which  are  just  the  same  in  character  and  are  des- 
tined for  the  same  heavenly  home)  of  the  saints  at 
the  end  of  the  world  who  shall  not  suffer  death  at 
all;  they  will  "be  changed"*  (I  Cor.  15:51),  in  the 
"twinkling  of  an  eye"  being  caught  up  to  be  "for- 
ever with  the  Lord."  (I  Thess.  4:17.)  But  this  is 
only  opinion ;  we  have  no  positive  Scripture  on  the 
question. 

4.  The  day  of  judgment.  Not  only  saints  and 
sinners  alike  from  the  earth  life  and  Hades,  but 
also  some  angels,  will  finally  be  gathered  to  stand 
before  God  together  in  the  last  great  Judgment,  at 
which  the  final  results  of  life  in  character  will  be 
proclaimed  to  the  assembled  universe;  appropriate 
rewards   and   punishments    following. 

Matt.  7:22,  23;  Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day.  Lord,  Lord, 
did  we  not  prophesy  by  thy  name,  and  by  thy  name  do  many 
mighty  works?  And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never 
knew  you ;  depart  from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity. 

Matt.  12:41;  The  men  of  Nineveh  shall  stand  up  in  the  judg- 
ment with  this  generation,  and  shall  condemn  it ;  for  they  re- 
pented at  the  preaching  of  Jonah ;  and  behold,  a  greater  than 
Jonah  is   here. 

Matt.  13:24-30  and  36-42;  (the  parable  of  the  sower,  repre- 
senting the  end  of  the  world)  40.  So  shall  it  be  in  the  end  of 
the  world.  The  Son  of  man  shall  send  forth  his  angels,  and 
they  shall  gather  out  of  his  kingdom  all  things  that  cause 
stumbling,  and  them  that  do  iniquity,  and  shall  cast  them  into 
the  furnace  of  fire ;  there  shall  be  the  weeping  and  the  gnash- 
ing of  teeth. 

See  the  parables  of  the  Ten  Virgins,  and  of  the  Talents,  in 
Matt.  25;  of  the  Husbandman,   Matt.   21:33-46;    Isaiah   5:1-6. 

Matt.  25:31;  But  when  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  his 
glory,    and    all    the    angels    with    him,    then    shall    he    sit   on    the 


82 

throne  of  his  glory ;  32.  and  before  him  shall  be  gathered  all 
the  nations ;  and  he  shall  separate  them  one  from  another,  as 
the  shepherd  separateth  the  sheep  from  the  goats.  (Read 
through.) 

Acts  17:31;  Inasmuch  as  he  hath  appointed  a  day  in  which 
he  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness  by  that  man  whom  he 
hath  ordained.      [Christ.] 

Rom.  14:10;  For  we  shall  all  stand  before  the  judgment  seat 
of  God.  ...  12.  So  then  each  one  of  us  shall  give  account 
of  himself  to  God.  Also  2  Cor.  5:10;  2  Thess.  1:7;  Heb.  10:27; 
2   Peter  2:4,   9. 

Heb.  9:27;  It  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die,  and  after 
this   cometh   judgment. 

Rev.  20:11-15;  And  I  saw  a  great  white  throne,  and  him 
that  sat  upon  it,  from  whose  face  the  earth  and  the  heaven  fled 
away ;  and  there  was  found  no  place  for  them.  And  I  saw 
the  dead,  the  great  and  the  small,  standing  before  the  throne ; 
and  books  were  opened ;  and  another  book  was  opened,  which 
is  the  book  of  life ;  and  the  dead  were  judged  out  of  the  things 
which  were  written  in  the  books,  according  to  their  works. 
(Read  on  to  the  end.) 

Judgment  will  be  according  to  light.  See  Rom. 
2:12;   Gal.  6:7,8. 

At  the  close  of  the  Judgment  the  bad  are  sent  to 
their  final  punishment  in  hell,  and  the  good  to  their 
final  reward  in  heaven. 

5.  Heaven.  Heaven  is  the  place  of  final  rewards 
for  all  saved  souls,  into  which  they  are  ushered  at 
the  close  of  the  Judgment,  as  their  everlasting 
home.  It'-is  the  abode  of  God  and  all  the  holy,  and 
none  can  come  in  who  are  not  like  Him  in  character. 

Matt.  5:8;  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see 
God. 

Matt.  6:20;  But  lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures  in  heaven, 
where  neither  moth  nor  rust  doth  consume,  and  where  thieves 
do  not  break  through  nor  steal:  21.  For  where  thy  treasure 
is,   there  will  thy   heart  be  also. 

Matt.  8:11;  And  I  say  unto  you,  that  many  shall  come 
from  the  east  and  the  west,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham, 
and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  12.  but  the  sons 
of  the  kingdom  shall  be  cast  forth  into  the  outer  darkness ; 
there  shall  be  the  weeping  and  the  gnashing  of  teeth. 

Matt.  25:34;  Then  shall  the  King  say  unto  them  on  his  right 
hand,  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  pre- 
pared for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world. 

2  Cor.  4 :17,  18;  For  our  light  affliction,  which  is  for  the 
moment,  worketh  for  us  more  and  more  exceedingly  an  eternal 
weight  of  glory;  18.  While  we  look  not  at  the  things  which  are 
seen,  but  at  the  things  which  are  not  seen ;  for  the  things  which 
are  seen  are  temporal ;  but  the  things  which  are  not  seen  are 
eternal. 

I  John  3:2;  Beloved,  now  are  we  children  of  God,  and  it  i? 
not  yet  made  manifest  what  we  shall  be.  We  know  that,  X. 
he  shall  be  manifested.,  we  shall  be  like  him ;  for  we  shall  see 
him  even  as  he  is. 


83 
Rev.   7:9  to   17;  read  the  whole. 

Rev.  21 :  whole  chapter,  and  22.  first  five  verses — read  the 
whole,  for  a  word-picture  of  heaven. 

6.  Hell.  This  is  the  place  of  final  punishment  for 
those  who  refuse  to  yield  to  Christ  in  this  life;  into 
which  they  "go  away"  of  their  own  will  as  well  as  by 
command,  (Matt.  25:46)  as  the  appropriate  place  for  all 
characters  such  as  they.  People  often  try  to  cast  the 
idea  of  hell  out  of  the  Bible,  though  such  a  process 
is  not  often  an  honest  one.  All  good  persons  would 
be  glad  if  no  such  place  were  necessary.  But  for  the 
same  reason  that  prisons  are  necessary  for  the  bad 
in  this  world,  and  that  the  hopelessly  bad  are  sent 
there  for  life,  we  may  suppose  that  there  is  need 
of  a  place  in  the  next  world  for  those  who  reject 
all  efforts  to  make  them  what  they  ought  to  be. 
They  are  sent  there  because  their  own  character, 
which  has  become  finally  fixed  in  evil  by  their  own 
act  and  in  spite  of  all  that  God  could  do  rightly  for 
them,  necessarily  excludes  them  from  the  abode  of 
the  righteous.  It  would  be  the  height  of  injustice 
for  God  to  let  them  remain  with  the  righteous  and 
still  pester  them  and  set  snares  for  their  downfall 
throughout  all  eternity,  as  they  have  been  doing 
here  on  earth.  Every  instinct  of  justice  towards 
his  faithful  ones  must  lead  God  to  make  a  separa- 
tion of  the  evil  from  the  good;  and  as  there  can  be 
no  separation  of  the  good  together  for  happiness 
without  leaving  the  bad  together  by  themselves, 
and  as  a  company  of  the  bad  anyhere,  left  to  them- 
selves, would  make  a  place  which  would  be  full  of 
evil  and  suffering,  such  a  place  seems  inevitable,  and 
a  proof  of  God's  love  for  His  children.  And  no  doubt 
He  will  make  even  hell  itself  serve  as  somewhat  of 
a  moral  motive  for  righteousness  in  the  universe  of 
the  future,  as  it  has  in  the  past,  even  with  those 
who  are  already  righteous.  Even  the  saints  in 
heaven  may  be  preserved  from  temptations,  which 
seem  to  have  assailed  heavenly  beings  in  past  cycles,  by 
the  knowledge  of  the  judgments  of  God  still  in  process 
of   execution. 

Matt.  10:28;  But  rather  fear  him  who  is  able  to  destroy  both 
soul  and  body  in  hell. 

Matt.  13:40-42;  So  shall  it  be  in  the  end  of  the  world.  The 
Son  of  man  shall  send  forth  his  angels,  and  they  shall  gather 
out  of  his  kingdom  all  things  that  cause  stumbling,  and 
them  that  do  iniquity,   and   shall  cast   them  into   the   furnace  of 


84 

fire ;  there  shall  be  the  weeping  and  the  gnashing  of  teeth. 

Matt.  22:12,  13;  And  he  said  unto  him,  Friend,  how  earnest 
thou  in  hither  not  having  a  wedding-garment?  And  he  was 
speechless.  Then  the  king  said  unto  the  servants,  Bind  him 
hand  and  foot,  and  cast  him  out  into  the  outer  darkness;  there 
shall  be  the  weeping  and  the  gnashing  of  teeth. 

Matt.  25:41,  46;  Then  shall  he  say  also  unto  them  on  the 
left  hand,  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  the  eternal  fire  which 
is  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels.  .  .  .  46.  And  these 
shall  go  away  into  eternal  punishment;  but  the  righteous  into 
eternal  life. 

Mark  9:47;  And  if  thine  eye  cause  thee  to  stumble,  cast  it 
out ;  it  is  good  for  thee  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God  with 
one  eye,  rather  than  having  two  eyes  to  be  cast  into  hell ;  48. 
where   their   worm   dieth   not,   and  the   fire   is   not  quenched. 

2  Thess.  1 :9 ;  Who  shall  suffer  punishment,  even  everlasting 
destruction  from  the  face  of  the  Lord  and  from  the  glory  of 
his   might. 

Rev.  19:20;  And  the  beast  was  taken,  and  with  him  the 
false  prophet  that  wrought  the  signs  in  his  sight,  wherewith 
he  deceived  them  that  had  received  the  mark  of  the  beast 
and  them  that  worshipped  his  image;  they  two  were  cast  alive 
into  the  lake  of  fire  that  burneth  with  brimstone. 

Rev.  20:10,  14,  15;  And  the  devil  that  deceived  them  was 
cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone ,  where  are  also  the 
beast  and  the  false  prophet ;  and  they  shall  be  tormented  day 
and  night  for  ever  and  ever.  .  .  .  14.  And  death  and  Hades 
were  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.  This  is  the  second  death,  even 
the  lake  of  fire.  15.  And  if  any  was  not  found  written  in  the 
book  of  life,  he  was  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire. 

When  one  undertakes  to  do  away  with  "forever 
and  ever,"  repeatedly  used  by  Christ  Himself  to  de- 
scribe the  duration  of  the  state  of  the  lost,  he  would 
best  be  very  careful  how  he  deals  with  God  Him- 
self in  seeking  to  destroy  any  part  of  His  Word. 
All  the  most  terrible  statements  of  the  Word  on  this 
point  are  from  the  lips  of  Christ  Himself,  either 
before  His  ascension,  or  after  it,  in  the  Revelation; 
as  if  to  make  it  impossible  to  doubt  them.  And  even 
if  the  Bible  did  not  say  so  there  seems  to  be  no 
logical  escape  from  supposing  the  lost  to  remain 
in  suffering  eternally,  except  in  some  thought  that 
they  would  bye-and  bye,  after  perhaps  ages,  be 
totally  annihilated, — taken  out  of  existence.  But 
there  is  not  the  least  glimpse  of  such  a  doctrine  in 
the  Word;  and  "forever  and  ever,"  repeated  again 
and  again,  looks  the  farthest  possible  from  it.  Let 
us  take  the  awful  fact  as  the  Bible  teaches  it;  and 
both  shun  for  ourselves  and  teach  others  to  shun 
the  awful  fate.  No  soul  will  ever  go  to  the  awful 
place  unless  by  his  own  choice  of  sin  against  whatever 
light  he  has,  and  in  spite  of  what  God  tries  to  do  for 
him. 


85 
TRUE  RELIGION. 

True  religion  is  not  a  matter  of  outward  forms, 
but  of  inward  life  from  God,  evidenced  by  changed 
outward  life  toward  both  God  and  man.  A  rebel- 
lious child  who  really  "gives  up,"  as  we  say,  to  the 
good  parent,  thereby  enables  the  parent  to  treat 
him  differently,  and  soon  becomes  conscious  of  the 
change  both  within  and  without.  So  with  genuine 
repentance  and  surrender  to  God.  The  change  is 
most  real,  both  in  him  towards  God  and  in  the  re- 
lation of  God  to  him.  After  the  change  he  is  a 
spiritual  Child  of  God  by  the  new  birth;  before  that, 
he  was  a  child  of  sin  and  Satan  by  his  choice  of  evil 
instead  of  good,  and  by  his  habitual  surrendering 
to  Satan  instead  of  to  the  good  and  to  God,  as  his 
conscience  and  the  Bible  told  him  he  should  do.  In 
this  condition  he  was  a  rebel  against  God  and  good- 
ness; now  he  is  the  very  opposite.  The  greatest  of 
all  possible  experiences  has  come  into  his  life,  and 
it  is  new;  as  the  Word  itself  describes  the  change 
in  2  Cor.  5:17,  "Wherefore  if  any  man  is  in  Christ, 
he  is  a  new  creature:  the  old  things  are  passed  away, 
behold,  they  are  become  new.  18.  But  all  things 
are  of  God,  who  reconciled  us  to  Himself  through 
Christ."  The  great  facts  of  pardon,  peace  with  God, 
the  new  birth,  getting  right  with  God  and  with 
man,  and  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  are  too 
radical  and  real  to  be  overlooked.  No  ceremonies 
produce  these  effects;  they  take  place  when  the 
heart  itself  gives  God  the  right  of  way  in  the  soul 
where  He  belongs.  Before  the  change  he  was  a 
sinner,  "dead  through  your  trespasses  and  sins" 
(Eph.  2:1);  now  he  has  been  "made  alive"  (same 
verse)  by  the  power  of  God;  he  has  the  new  life 
within — his  will  changed,  his  life  started  heaven- 
ward, the  Spirit  of  God  dwelling  in  his  soul — saved! 

Rom.  8 :9 ;  But  ye  are  not  in  the  flesh  but  in  the  Spirit,  if 
so  be  that  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelleth  in  you.  But  if  any  man 
hath  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  his.  And  if  Christ 
is  in  you,  the  body  is  dead  because  of  sin ;  but  the  spirit  is  life 
because   of   righteousness. 

Rom.  8:14-16;  For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
these  are  sons  of  God.  For  ye  received  not  the  spirit  of 
bondage  again  unto  fear;  but  ye  received  the  spirit  of  adoption, 
whereby  we  cry,  Abba,  Father.  The  Spirit  himself  beareth 
witness  with  our  spirit,  that  we  are  children  of  God. 


86 

1  Cor.  15:45;  The  last  Adam  [Christ]  became  a  life-giving 
spirit. 

2  Cor.  3  :6 ;  For  the  letter  killeth,  but  the  spirit  giveth  life. 
James    1  :27 ;    Pure  religion   and   undefiled  before  our   God   and 

Father  is  this,  to  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their 
affliction,  and  to  keep  oneself  unspotted  from  the  world.  (This 
was  spoken  to  souls  who  had  already  experienced  the  great 
change — see  verse  1 — and  refers  to  the  external  duties  which 
will   rightly   proceed   from  the  true  internal  life.) 

I  John  4:16;  God  is  love,  and  he  that  abideth  in  love  abideth 
in  God,  and  God  abideth  in  him. 

I  John  5  :4 ;  This  is  the  victory  that  hath  overcome  the  world, 
even  our  faith. 

IX.    BIBLE  PASSAGES  WRONGLY 
INTERPRETED. 

This  booklet  is  intended  first  of  all  for  circula- 
tion among  our  friends  who  believe  the  teachings 
of  Mormonism.  We  have  no  doubt  at  all  that  many- 
hold  to  these  views  just  as  sincerely  as  we  do  to  dif- 
ferent ones,  and  that  many  do  this  because  they  think 
these  doctrines  are  really  taught  in  the  Bible.  It 
seems  important  therefore  to  consider  a  few  pas- 
sages which  are  supposed  to  uphold  these  views,  and 
to  see  if  they  are  correctly  interpreted.  This  we 
do  in  no  spirit  of  antagonism,  but  because  it  seems 
exceedingly  important  to  the  welfare  of  the  Mor- 
mon people  themselves,  and  a  duty  laid  upon  us  of 
God.  Radically  mistaken  use  of  the  Bible  is  more 
harmful  in  its  effects,  perhaps,  than  no  use  at  all; 
and  it  has  many  times  been  shown  possible  in  this 
world  for  people  to  believe  most  sincerely  that  cer- 
tain things  were  taught  in  the  Bible  when  they  were 
not  really  there  at  all,  but  their  very  opposites.  The 
passages  taken  up  are  mostly  such  as  are  given  in 
the  three  publications  of  ready  references  which 
are  familiar  to  all  Mormons;  except  that,  as  hith- 
erto in  this  booklet,  they  are  quoted  from  the  Am- 
erican  Revised   edition   of  the    Bible. 

PASSAGES    ABOUT    GOD. 
i.     Passages   supposed  to  teach   that   God   has   a 

flesh  and  bones  body,  instead  of  being  pure  spirit. 
In    Hebrews    1:3    Christ   is   said    to   be 
"The    effulgence    of    his    [God's]      glory,    and    the   very      image 

of  his   substance ;"   King  James'   version   "the   express  image   of 

his   person." 

If  it  could  possibly  be  thought  that  such  an  ex- 
pression   as    "the    effulgence    of    His    glory"    were 


87 
spoken  of  the  bodily  appearance  of  Christ,  then 
there  might  be  a  bare  possibility  of  the  latter  half 
of  the  expression  having  a  like  reference.  But  we 
do  not  read  in  the  Bible  of  anything  glorious  about 
the  outward  appearance  of  the  Saviour ;  on  the  con- 
trary  we   are   told   in    Isaiah    53:2   that 

"He  hath  no  form  nor  comeliness ;  and  when  we  see  him, 
there  is  no  beauty  that  we  should  desire  him.  3.  He  was  de- 
spised, and  rejected  of  men;  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted 
with  grief ;  and  as  one  from  w  horn  men  hide  their  face  he  was 
despised;   and  we  esteemed  him  not." 

With  this  description  in  the  Word,  how  can  any 
one  think  that  the  blessed  Saviour  was  of  a  glorious 
physical  appearance?  The  passage  directly  states 
the  opposite;  he  was  a  man  of  unassuming  appear- 
ance, and  so  worn  with  the  burdens  of  His  mission 
to  earth  as  to  be  unattractive  except  to  those  who 
got  a  real  glimpse  of  His  inner  character — his  soul- 
life.  Here  He  was  glorious;  here  we  find  the  pas- 
sage fulfilled  to  the  letter.  Hence  it  must  refer 
to  His  spiritual  likeness  to  the  Father,  shown  in 
His  love  and  sacrifice  for  men,  His  teachings,  His 
willingness  to  endure  insult,  etc.  In  this  He  was 
the  very  image  (margin  "impression")  of  the  Fath- 
er's substance,  as  the  gold  coin  bears  the  image  or 
impression  or  likeness  of  the  individual  it  represents. 
This  is  the  only  possible  meaning  of  the  passage. 

Gen.   1 :27 ;   God  created  man  in  his  own  image. 

By  a  totally  unwarranted  process  of  reasoning 
backwards  and  from  a  false  assumption,  this  verse 
is  made  to  teach  that  God  must  have  a  fleshly  body 
because  man,  made  in  His  image,  has  such.  But 
what  does  "image"  or  "likeness"  mean?  The  dic- 
tionary idea  is  that  of  resemblance  in  appearance, 
not  at  all  in  material;  as  when  one  might  say,  for 
instance,  that  the  statue  of  Bri'gham  Young  in  Salt 
Lake  City  was  a  "perfect  image"  or  "likeness"  of 
the  person  it  represented;  he  would  not  ever  be  taken 
as  meaning  that  Brigham  Young  had  a  body  either 
as  large  or  made  of  the  same  material  as  that  com- 
posing the  statue.  The  language  does  not  carry 
that  idea,  in  either  this  case  or  the  passages  in  Gen- 
esis. In  the  statue  the  likeness  is  simply  one  of 
outward  form;  but  we  also  say  of  a  person,  that  he 
"is  so  much  like  his  father,"  when  the  likeness  meant 
Is    in    disposition,    ways    of    action,    etc.      So    in    this 


88 

case;  the  likeness  is  in  the  spiritual  nature,  not  in 
the  physical,  because  God  has  no  such ;  but  there  is 
a  very  marked  likeness  in  spiritual  nature. 

Another  class  of  passages  is  supposed  to  teach 
the  same  fact  that  God  has  a  physical  body,  because 
they  speak  of  Him  as  having  appeared  to  men  in 
form  as  a  man;  (as  Gen.  18:16,  17,18;)  as  having 
hands,  feet,  eyes,  ears,  etc.;  as  Ps.  33:18,  11:34;  17:15; 
Deut.  9:10;   Ps.   18:6;  34:15,  16;   Isa  48:13;   etc. 

But  when  the  Bible  says  repeatedly  and  most  em- 
phatically that  no  man  has  seen  God,  or  can  see 
Him  (see  references  under  Invisible,  page  50,  we 
may  be  sure  that  no  man  ever  has  seen  the  real  be- 
ing or  personality  of  God.  We  cannot  safely  look 
at  even  the  earthly  sun  with  naked  eyes;  how  much 
less  at  the  Infinite  Glory  of  God,  if  He  should  ever 
will  to  manifest  himself  in  such  a  material  way. 
The  sight  would  smite  any  mortal  dead,  no  doubt. 
And  as  God  is  pure  spirit,  our  eyes  could  not  see 
His  very  self,  even  if  he  should  dull  this  dazzling 
glory;  He  must  take  some  material  form  to  be  vis- 
ible at  all  to  fleshly  eyes,  or  else  change  our  vis- 
ion. And  what  form  more  suitable  than  that  of  His 
highest  creation  on  earth,  man?  Hence  he  has  ap- 
peared most  often  in  this  way;  though  in  Num.  23: 
19  He  says  He  "is  not  a  man,"  and  He  has  also  ap- 
peared as  pillars  of  cloud  and  fire,  the  burning  bush, 
the  dove,  etc.  And  whatever  form  he  may  take  as 
a  manifestation,  for  our  sakes,  MUST  be  consistent 
with  the  foundation  statement  of  Himself,  "GOD 
IS  A  SPIRIT."  No  one  of  these  manifestations  of 
God  really  implies  anything  whatever  as  to  His  ac- 
tual, heavenly  form. 

2.  Passages  supposed  to  prove  that  there  are 
many   gods. 

I  Cor.  8:4-6;  Concerning  therefore  the  eating  of  things  sacri- 
ficed to  idols,  we  know  that  no  idol  is  anything  in  the  world, 
and  that  there  is  no  God  but  one.  5.  For  though  there  be 
that  are  called  gods,  whether  in  heaven  ot  on  earth ;  as  there 
are  gods  many  and  lords  many; -6.  yet  to  us  there  is  one  God, 
the  Father 

This  passage  would  seem  clear  enough  against 
any  doctrine  of  many  gods,  instead  of  for  it.  But 
the  Catechism  published  by  the  Deseret  News,  (page 
13)  takes  verse  5  entirely  out  of  its  connection,  cuts 
off   the   first   two    words,   and   prints    it   as   teaching 


89 

that  there  are  many  real  Gods !  Paul  is  writing 
about  idolatry;  the  very  line  before  this  verse  savs 
THERE  IS  NO  OTHER  GOD  BUT  ONE;  the 
very  next  line  after  it  says  the  same  thing  a  little 
differently,  TO  US  THERE  IS  ONE  GOD;  all  the 
rest  of  the  Bible  teaches  this  same  truth  (see  under 
"God,"  page  48),  and  the  very  word  "called"  in 
this  verse  shows  that  Paul  was  not  talking  about 
real  Gods;  yet  the  passage  is  made  to  do  duty  in 
teaching  that  there  are  many  true  Gods !  It  refers 
only  to  the  false  gods,  idols  and  stars,  etc.,  worship- 
ped by  the  Corinthian  pagans,  and  to  their  earthly 
rulers.  The  word  "gods"  occurs  nearly  200  times 
in  the  Bible,  and  always  refers  to  idols  except  in 
two  places,  where  it  refers  to  evil  men;  (Ps.  82:6, 
7;  quoted  again  in  John  10:34.35.)  There  could  hard- 
ly be  a  worse  use  of  Scripture  than  to  make  it  teach 
just  the  opposite  of  its  plain  meaning  on  a  great 
fundamental  doctrine,  as  such  a  use  of  this  verse 
certainly  does. 

3.  Baptism  necessary  to  salvation  and  to  remit 
sins. 

The  expression  in  Acts  2:38  "Repent  ye  ana  be 
baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  unto  the  remission  of  sins,"  is  taught  as 
meaning  that  without  water  baptism  sins  cannot 
be  forgiven  and  hence  no  soul  can  be  saved.  This 
view  is  certainly  wrong,  for  Christ  and  the  Apos- 
tles preached  to  the  exact  contrary  many  times,  and 
there  is  no  reason  in  such  a  view.  And  the  passage 
itself  will  not  bear  any  such  interpretation.  Two 
things  are  named  as  "unto  the  remission  of  sins;" 
which  one  is  the  condition  of  remitting,  or  is  both? 
Let  us  take  the  Bible  and  see.  The  words  "repent" 
and  "repentance"  occur  in  similar  sense  55  times  in 
the  New  Testament,  of  which  52  refer  to  salvation. 
Of  these  52  only  six  cases  have  any  mention  of  bap- 
tism in  connection,  or  of  anything  else  but  repentance 
which  could  possibly  be  considered  a  condition  of  sal- 
vation at  all,  and  in  five  of  these  repentance  is  beyond 
question  made  the  important  thing,  of  which  the 
baptism  is  only  a  sign.  This  makes  51  cases  in 
which  the  repentance  is  given  as  the  one  essential 
condition  of  salvation,  which  shows  that  we  must 
regard  this  one  passage  of  Peter's  in  the  same  light; 


90 

it  is  the  repentance  here  as  elsewhere  which  brings 
the  sinner  into  right  relations  with  God.  This  re- 
pentance is  the  genuine  "surrender"  kind,  of  course, 
of  which  we  have  already  spoken  under  its  appro- 
priate subject.  John's  message  was  Repent!  Christ's 
first  message  was  Repent;  Peter's  was  Repent; 
Paul's  was  the  same,  Repent!  and  when  Christ  came 
back  in  Revelation  His  message  was  still  the  same, 
Repent! 

Matt.  3 :2 ;  (John)  Repent  ye,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is 
at   hand. 

Matt.  4:17;  (Christ)  Repent  ye,  for  the  Kingdom  of  heaven 
is    at    hand. 

Acts  3:19;  (Peter)  Repent  ye,  therefore,  and  turn  again, 
that  your  sins  may  be  blotted  out. 

Acts  20:21;  (Paul)  Testifying  both  to  Jews  and  Greeks 
repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  toward  our  L,ord  Jesus  Christ. 
tSee  Acts  26:20.) 

Rev.  2:5;  (Christ  returned)  Repent  and  do  the  first  works. 
16.  Repent  therefore.  21.  Time  that  she  should  repent  .  .  . 
and  she  willeth  not  to  repent.  3 :3 ;  Remember  .  .  .  and 
repent. 

The  passage  of  Acts  2:38  stands  thus  absolutely 
alone  in  mentioning  baptism  in  any  such  way  as 
could  be  thought  to  make  it  a  condition  of  salva- 
tion. And  it  is  very  important  as  throwing  light 
on  Peter's  own  meaning  in  this  passage,  to  notice 
his  very  next  preaching  on  this  same  point;  given 
to  the  same  class  of  people,  in  the  same  place,  and, 
recorded  in  the  very  next  chapter;  see  Acts  3:19; 
"Repent  ye  therefore,  and  turn  again,  that  your 
sins  may  be  blotted  out."  That  is  enough.  Peter 
said  what  all  the  others  and  his  Master  said;  and 
this  was  not  that  baptism  was  a  saving  ordinance.  It 
is  an  exceedingly  important  one,  as  an  act  of  obedience, 
a  confession  of  sin  and  both  a  confession  and  symbol 
of  that  cleansing  of  the  heart  from  sin  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  which  cleansing  is  itself  salvation.  It  is  also 
the  sign  of  entrance  into  the  visible  church.  Every 
soul  which  has  been  truly  born  again  (saved)  should 
receive  baptism  if  possible,  and  no  soul  which  rebelli- 
ously  refuses  it  can  be  regarded  as  having  been  born 
again  and  thus  either  fit  for  baptism  or  saved  without 
it.  But  baptism  in  itself  has  no  power  either  to  cleanse 
from  sin  or  otherwise  fit  the  soul  for  God's  presence. 

The  passage  in  Acts  22:16,  Arise,  and  be  baptized, 
and  wash  away  thy  sins,  calling  on  the  name  of  the 
Lord,"  is  often  supposed  to  teach  this  same  doctrine 


9i 

of  the  necessity  of  baptism  to  salvation.  But  it  is 
likewise  a  mistake  to  suppose  so.  Paul  was  already 
a  saved,  forgiven,  regenerated  soul,  before  he  went 
to  Damascus;  he  was  not  told  to  go  there  for  salva- 
tion, but  to  learn  what  the  Lord  would  have  him  to 
do.  Being  assured  by  God  that  Paul  had  become 
a  Christian,  Ananias  advises  him  to  do  the  next 
proper  thing  in  the  circumstances,  and  be^  baptised 
as  the  outward  sign  of  the  work  which  had  been 
done  in  him,  and  of  joining  the  number  of  the 
church  at  Damascus.  We  must  interpret  this  Scrip 
ture  in  harmony  with  the  general  truth,  as  this  view 
does.  (Note  the  other  account  in  Acts  9,  especialy 
verses   17   and   18.) 

John  3 :5 ;  "Except  one  be  born  of  the  water  and 
the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of  God"  is 
also  often  taken  as  teaching  that  water  baptism  is 
essential  to  salvation.  But  in  the  view  of  the  writer, 
(with  such  commentators  as  Calvin,  Charles  Hodge, 
Cowles,  etc.)*  this  has  no  reference  to  baptism 
at  all;  Christian  baptism,  which  Mormonism  holds 
it  to  mean,  had  not  been  established  and  did 
not  yet  exist.  Christ  certainly  would  not  refer  thus 
to  a  thing  which  Nicodemus  did  not  know  about. 
He  knew  of  the  Jewish  washings  and  sprinklings, 
and  doubtless  of  John's  baptism  unto  repentance ; 
but  neither-  of  these  was  Christian  baptism,  to  which 
it  is  now  claimed  that  the  passage  refers.  Only  two 
explanations  of  the  passage  seem  possible,  to  the 
writer.  Either  the  words  "born  of  water"  are  a 
material  parallelism  to  the  really  efficacious  being 
"born  of  the  Spirit,"  or  the  word  "water"  here  re- 
fers to  the  Word  of  God,  the  Truth,  which  is  the 
means  by  which  the  Spirit  cleanses  the  soul  of  sin; 
or  both  may  perhaps  be  true.  For  instances  of  the 
very  common  parallel  or  double-form  of  statement 
in  the  Bible,  among  hundreds  of  others  see  John  1 :1  and 
2,  3,  7  and  8,  20;  John  3:11 ;  Ps.  51 .2,  3,  4  (containing  a 
double  parallel)   5,  6,  7,  9,   10,   11,   12,   13, — and  so  on, 

*The  other  views  are  that  "water"  here  refers  either  (1)  to 
John's  baptism,  as  a  duty  which  Nicodemus  had  not  yet  ac- 
cepted (which  is  not  possible  to  us)  ;  (2)  to  Christian  baptism 
as  the  entrance  to  the  visible  church,  though  not  conveying 
salvation.  (3)  to  Christian  baptism  as  essential  and  conveying 
salvation.  This  last  view  is  held  only  by  Roman  Catholics  and 
Mormons,  so  far  as  the  writer  is  aware.  The  majority  of 
commentators   probably  hold    (1)    or   (2). 


92 

each  verse  a  double  statement  of  the  same  idea, 
slightly  different — a  very  common  form  of  Oriental 
speech.  So  this  verse  in  John  may  be  a  double 
statement  of  the  great  fact  of  regeneration;  the 
first  half  under  figure  of  water  as  a  physical  cleans- 
ing agent,  the  last  half  the  literal  statement  of  the 
Agent  by  which  the  actual  cleansing  of  the  soul  from 
sin  is  accomplished — the  Holy  Spirit.  The  fact  thai 
the  water  is  not  mentioned  in  the  next  verse,  while 
the  Spirit  is,  or  in  verses  3,  7,  8,  15,  16,  17,  18  or  36, 
adds  force  to  this  view.  There  are  eight  positive 
statements  of  what  we  must  do  to  be  saved,  in  this 
one  chapter,  with  others  implied;  water  is  mention- 
ed in  only  one.  The  Spirit  is  clearly  the  only  essen- 
tial agent  in  the  matter.  And  in  other  passages 
"water"  is  figuratively  used  to  denote  the  "Word" 
of  God,  through  which  the  Spirit  works  in  cleansing 
the  soul  from  sin;  as  in  Eph.  5:26;  "That  he  might 
sanctify  it,  having  cleansed  it  by  the  washing  of 
water  with  the  word" — the  Word  is  the  water  with 
which  the  Spirit  cleanses  the  souls  of  sinners;  and 
also  John  15:3;  "Already  ye  are  clean  because  of 
the  word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you;"  and  John 
17:17;  "Sanctify  them  in  the  truth;  thy  word  is 
truth";  James  1:18,  "Of  His  own  will  He  brought 
us  forth  by  the  word  of  truth"  21,  "The  implanted 
word,  which  is  able  to  save  your  souls:"  and  other 
passages  show  clearly  that  the  cleansing  agency  by 
which  the  Spirit  works  is  the  Word  of  God  (see  John 
6:63,  8:32,  15:3,  17:17;  Acts  15:7,  9;  2  Tim.  3:16;  1 
Peter  1:22,  2:2)  and  that  this  is  sometimes  spoken 
of  as  washing  by  the  Word.  Titus  3:5  is  another 
passage;  "According  to  his  mercy  He  saved  us, 
through  the  washing  of  regeneration  and  the  re- 
newing of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  he  poured  out  upon 
us  richly."  And  as  Nicodemus  was  familiar  with  the 
great  passage  in  Ezekiel  36:25,  26,  27,  the  Savior 
doubtless  had  reference  to  this  in  His  own  state- 
ment; which  probably  brought  this  passage  instant- 
ly to  the  mind  of  Nicodemus: 

And  I  will  sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you,  and  ye  shall 
be  clean;  from  all  your  filthiness,  and  from  all  your  idols,  v\il 
I  cleanse  you.  26.  A  new  heart  also  will  I  give  you,  an 
new  spirit  will  I  put  within  you;  and  I  will  take  away  the  ston 
heart  out  of  your  flesh,  and  I  will  give  you  a  heart  of  flesh 
27.  And  I   will  put  my  Spirit  within  you. 


93 

No  doubt  Nicodemus  understood  clearly  that 
Christ  used  the  word  "water"  just  as  this  passage 
does,  with  which  he  was  so  familiar,  simply  as  a 
symbol  of  the  real  cleansing  agent,  the  Spirit, 
through  the  Truth.  And  if  this  had  been  meant  as 
really  a  reference  to  Christian  baptism, — the  first 
in  the  Word  and  hence  not  easily  understood — one 
would  think  the  Lord  would  have  said  plainly  just 
what  he  meant — "Except  one  be  born  of  baptism 
and  of  the  Spirit;"  which  he  did  not  at  all  do,  be- 
cause it  would  have  been  untrue  and  contrary  to  the 
rest  of  the  Word.  With  reference  to  this  whole 
matter  of  whether  baptism  or  any  other  ordinance 
is  essential  to  salvation  (in  the  sense  that  a  soul 
is  not  fully  pardoned,  cleansed,  regenerated,  saved, 
until  he  receives  it)  the  Bible  is  very  plain.  In  Heb. 
10:4  we  are  told  that  even  the  blood  of  bulls  and 
goats  offered  in  sacrifice  can  never  take  away  sins; 
how  much  less  can  mere  water  do  so?  It  is  never 
by  mere  "works  which  we  do  ourselves"  (Titus  3:5) 
that  we  are  saved,  though  the  good  works  will  re- 
sult from  any  salvation  that  is  genuine;  but  we  are 
saved,  if  at  all,  by  our  simple  surrender  in  faith  and 
repentance  to  God  in  Christ,  enabling  Him  to  work 
regeneration  in  us.  (See  other  passages  under 
"Faith  and  Works  in  Salvation,"  page  68). 

4.    -The  everlasting  gospel. 

Rev.  14:6;  And  I  saw  another  angel  flying  in  mid-heaven, 
having  eternal  good-tidings  to  proclaim  unto  them  that  dwell 
on  the  earth,  and  unto  every  nation  and  tribe  and  tongue  and 
people;  7.  and  he  saith  with  a  great  voice,  Fear  God,  and  give 
him  glory;  for  the  hour  of  his  judgment  is  come;  and  worship 
him  that  made  the  heaven  and  the  earth  and  sea  and  foun- 
tains of  waters. 

This  angel  is  the  first  of  six  in  rapid  succession 
in  this  chapter;  two  of  whom  have  sickles  to  reap 
the  earth.  One  of  them  proclaims  that  "the  hour 
to  reap  is  come,  for  the  harvest  of  the  earth  is  ripe;" 
and  the  harvest  was  cast  "into  the  winepress,  the 
great  winepress  of  the  wrath  of  God."  The  "good- 
tidings"  which  the  first  angel  proclaimed  seem  to  be 
simply  that  the  hour  of  the  judgments  of  God  on 
sin  had  come,  and  righteousness  was  to  have  its 
final  triumph  by  the  perishing  of  her  enemies,  typi- 
fied by  Babylon,  in  the  judgments  of  God.  There 
seems  to  be  no  reference  whatever  to  the  everlast- 


94 
ing  gospel  which  Christ  brought  for  the  salvation  of 
men;  and  still  less  can  it  possibly  mean  that  the 
gospel  was  being  brought  back  to  earth  after  hav- 
ing been  taken  away.  For  the  Gospel  of  Christ  has 
never  been  taken  away  at  all.  Every  word  of  it  is 
contained  in  the  Bible,  which  has  been  with  us  all 
the  time,  and  never  will  be  removed  while  man  en- 
dures. The  interpretation  which  makes  this  pas- 
sage refer  to  something  said  to  have  happened  in 
the  last  generation  in  connection  with  Joseph  Smith 
is  still  further  beyond  the  region  of  possibility;  for 
in  addition  to  the  facts  just  given,  the  passage 
evidently  portrays  events  relative  to  something 
which  is  to  take  place  at  or  close  to  the  end  of  the 
world,  and  not  a  long  time  before  that  event,  while 
there  is  yet  a  world  to  be  saved  by  preaching  the 
gospel.  Any  such  interpretation  must  be  utterly 
dismissed  from  the  mind  by  one  who  will  get  the 
truth  from  the  Word;  for  it  has  not  the  slightest 
foundation  of  truth  in  it. 
5.    The  Foundation  of  the  Church. 

Matt.  16:17,  18;  For  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed 
it  unto  thee,  but  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  18.  And  I  also 
say  unto  thee,  that  thou  art  Peter,  [the  Greek  word  is  Petros,  a 
stone,  piece  of  rock]  and  upon  this  rock  [Greek  petra,  a  great 
ledge  of  underlying  rock,]  I  will  build  my  church;  and  the  gates 
of  Hades  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 

Roman  Catholicism  says  that  this  means  that  the 
church  was  to  be  founded  upon  Peter,  he  being  the 
petra  of  which  Christ  spoke,  as  the  chief  Apostle. 
But  there  was  no  chief  apostle;  and  neither  will  the 
Greek  admit  of  such  a  rendering;  the  difference  of 
meaning  and  gender  forbids  it.  The  "ledge  of  rock" 
of  which  Christ  spoke  was  not  the  "piece  of  stone" 
which  Peter  was;  it  must  refer  to  something  further 
back  in  the  passage  and  more  substantial  than  any 
mere  man;  to  some  great  truth  or  principle,  indeed. 
We  do  not  build  great  edifices  on  a  little  stone,  but 
if  possible,  on  a  great  ledge  of  the  earth's  founda- 
tions. What  great  principle  is  there  in  this  context, 
with  which  Peter  is  so  closely  identified  as  to  make 
him  really  a  piece  from  it?  There  is  only  one  great 
principle  here;  Peter  has  just  spoken  it  forth  with 
all  his  impetuous  power,  as  expressing  the  feeling 
of  all  the  disciples  in  one  utterance,  and  it  is  backed 
by  all  the  rest  of  the  Scriptures  on  the  subject.  What 


95 

is  it?  The  mighty  foundation-rock  of  the  whole 
Christian  fabric,  the  fact  that  CHRIST  WAS  THE 
SON  OF  GOD— THE  DIVINE  ONE!  That,  and 
that  only,  is  the  ''rock-ledge"  upon  which  He  was 
to  found  His  church  so  that  no  power  of  earth  or  hell 
could  shake  it  from  its  foundation!  The  mere 
method  of  how  Peter  reached  this  conclusion  is  of 
little  importance — a  side  light,  perhaps,  thrown  in 
to  make  the  main  thought  stand  out  more.  The 
church  is  and  always  has  been  founded  on  the  divin- 
ity and  work  of  Christ.  This  has  been  the  one 
thing  to  which  she  has  held  most  closely  and  has 
never  given  up;  He  has  been  the  creative  force  which 
has  brought  all  true  churches  of  Christ  into  being 
and  kept  them  alive.  Brought  freshly  to  view  in  ev- 
ery recurrence  of  her  great  Sacrament  of  His  Death; 
preached  as  her  most  vital  doctrine  from  the  first; 
believed  distinctively  by  her  members  and  held  ten- 
aciously in  all  her  creeds,  however  they  have  differ- 
ed on  lesser  points, — history  proves  this  interpreta- 
tion of  the  passage  to  be  the  correct  one.  This 
truth  as  holding  up^  her  Personal  Foundation,  Christ 
Himself,  lias  been  her  foundation  through  all  the  ages 
from  then  until  now,  and  always  will  be.  And 
the  Word  is  no  less  clear  elsewhere. 

Isa.  28:16;  Behald,  I  lay  in  Zion  for  a  foundation  a  stone, 
a  tried  stone,  a  precious  corner-stone  of  sure  foundation ;  he 
that  believeth  shall  not  be  in  haste.  (Referring  to  Christ  and 
the  church;  quoted  thus  by  Peter  himself  in   1   Peter  2:5  to  7.) 

Eph.  2 :20 ;  Jesus  Christ  himself  being  the  chief  corner  stone. 

I  Cor.  3:11;  Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that 
which  is  laid,   which  is  Jesus    Christ. 

6.     Baptism   for  the  Dead. 

The  one  verse  in  the  whole  Bible  which  has  even 
a  seeming  reference  to  any  such  practice  is  the  fol- 
lowing: 

I  Cor.  15:29;  Else  what  shall  they  do  that  are  baptized  for 
the  dead?  If  the  dead  are  not  raised  at  all,  why  then  are  they 
baptized  for  them? 

And  even  this  verse  has  no  reference  to  such  a 
practice  as  being  a  part  of  the  Christian  belief  or 
custom;  indeed,  its  very  language  shows  that  it  was 
not  such.  Let  us  examine  the  passage.  The  date 
was  probably  early  in  A.  D.  57.  The  church  at  Cor- 
inth had  been  gathered,  chiefly  out  of  sheer  pagan- 
ism, by  Paul's  missionary  work  three  or  four  years  be- 
fore,   when    he    had    labored    there    for    about    eighteen 


96 

months.  They  could  not  have  become  very  thoroughly 
grounded  in  Christian  doctrine  in  that  time;  and  they 
had  little  if  any  Scripture  besides  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, and  possibly  not  even  that,  to  help  them  after 
he  went  away.  Their  pagan  neighbors  had  little  be- 
lief in  any  future  life,  and  these  weak  Christians 
themselves  had  become  clouded  in  their  belief  by 
the  doubts  of  their  outside  friends,  although  Paul 
must  have  made  it  one  of  his  chief  points  of  doc- 
trine while  there,  as  he  always  did.  Hence  he  writes 
them  this  mighty  chapter  of  argument  for  the  res- 
urrection, to  reconvince  such  as  were  weak  in  the 
faith;  and  as  his  second  argument  he  asks  them 
"else  what  shall  they  do  that    are     baptized    for      the 

dead why  then  are  they  baptized  for  them?"  We 

do  not  know  much  in  detail  about  the  custom  which 
Paul  referred  to.  But  two  things  are  certain  beyond 
question  in  regard  to  it.  First,  Paul's  very  language 
puts  the  practice  referred  to  outside  the  Christian 
belief  and  practice;  for  he  says  THEY  twice  when 
he  would  have  said  YOU  if  he  meant  those  to 
whom  he  was  writing.  When  we  write  to  friends 
about  something  which  they  themselves  are  doing,  we 
do  not  say  "Why  do  they  do  so?"  but  "Why  do  you  do 
so?" — the  second  personal  pronoun  is  the  one  always 
used  in  direct  address.  But  Paul  uses  the  pronoun 
of  the  -third  person,  showing  conclusively  that  he 
meant  some  practice  which  outsiders  were  using, 
though  the  members  were  acquainted  with  it.  At 
the  utmost  he  could  only  have  referred  to  a  few 
within  the  church  who  might  have  used  such  a 
rite,  as  distinguished  from  the  real  Christian  church 
and  doctrine,  which  he  clearly  indicates  as  separate 
from  and  opposed  to  whatever  practice  he  refers  to. 
Probably  the  reference  is  to  some  pagan  rite,  in 
which'  possibly  a  very  few  weak  members  may  have 
joined.  But  whatever  may  have  been  the  exact  prac- 
tice, St.  Paul  does  not  approve  of  it  by  merely  re- 
ferring to  it;  it  is  as  such  outside  and  not  inside  the 
Christian  belief  and  practice;  and  Paul  thus  con- 
demns instead  of  approving  it.  There  is  no  trace  in 
all  Christian  history  of  any  such  belief  or  practice 
except  among  two  very  heretical  sects,  known  as  the 
Cerinthians  and  Marcionites.  And  the  Bible  is  en- 
tirely  opposed   to   the   possibility   of   any   ceremony 


97 
saving,  even  the  person  who  receives  it,  and  states 
that  no  one  can  save  another,  even  from  physical 
death.  (See  Ps.  49.7.)  Performing  ordinances  for 
another  would  be  only  a  piece  of  acting,  at  best. 
Real  adult  baptism  is  a  sign  of  what  has  already 
been  done  by  the  Spirit  in  the  soul  of  the  one  baptized; 
never  of  work  to  be  done  in  the  future  or  for  another. 

7.     Salvation   for  the   dead. 

In  connection  with  the  doctrine  of  baptism  for  the 
dead,  and  really  as  its  foundation,  is  the  belief  that 
souls  who  have  passed  through  this  life  without  sal- 
vation, and  even  wilfully  rejecting  it,  can  have  an- 
other chance  and  be  saved,  if  they  will,  in  the  next 
life.  Two  passages  are  relied  on  to  prove  this  pos- 
ition, which  are  as  follows: 

I  Peter  3:18-20;  (Christ)  .  .  .  being  put  to  death  in  the 
flesh,  but  made  alive  in  the  spirit;  19,  in  which  also  he  went 
and  preached  unto  the  spirits  in  prison,  20.  that  aforetime 
were  disobedient,  when  the  long  suffering  of  God  waited  in 
the   days   of   Xoah,    while  the   ark   was   preparing.     .     .     . 

I  Peter  4:5,  6;  Who  shall  give  account  to  him  that  is  ready 
to  judge  the  living  and  the  dead.  6.  Fot  unto  this  end  was  the 
gospel  preached  even  to  the  dead,  that  they  might  be  judged 
indeed  according  to  men  in  the  flesh,  but  live  according  to  God 
in  the  spirit. 

These  are  the  only  passages  in  the  whole  Bible 
which  speak  of  what  can  be  thought  to  be  preaching 
to  the  dead.  If  the  general  teaching  of  the  Bible 
was  that  men  could  be  saved  after  death,  these 
might  be  taken  as  falling  in  with  that  view.  But  as 
the  teaching  is  just  the  opposite  of  this,  and  as 
God  knew  what  he  was  saying  here  as  well  as  else- 
where in  the  Word,  and  He  cannot  lie,  we  cannot  be- 
lieve that  such  is  the  meaning  here.  What  then  is 
it?  is  a  fair  question.  And  it  seems  very  strange, 
too,  that  the  only  souls  of  all  earth's  millions  who 
are  specially  singled  out  to  receive  another  chance 
after  death,  if  the  above  interpretation  is  correct, 
should  be  those  old  sinners  who  listened  for  120 
years  to  the  preaching  of  righteousness  by  good 
Noah  (2  Pet.  2:5)  and  then  were  swallowed  up  in 
their  wickedness  by  the  Flood!  Besides,  this  pas- 
sage expressly  states,  if  this  interpretation  of  it  be 
true,  that  these  wicked  spirits  who  were  to  be  given 
this  extra  chance  were  "in  prison,"  an  expression  which 
cannot  possibjy  mean  less  than  that  they  were  in  the 
bad  part  of  Hades,  where  all  the  wicked  go  at  death 


98 
to  wait  for  the  Judgment,  and  from  which  Christ 
himself  expressly  states  (Luke  16:26)  that  there  is 
no  escape!  to  a  better  one.  These  circumstances  are 
very  remarkable,  and  of  themselves  would  almost 
forbid  the  interpretation  which  is  sought  to  be 
placed  upon  these  verses.  Surely  Christ  did  not 
contradict  Himself  by  going  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
men  whom  He  had  said  could  not  be  rescued! 

The  fact  is  that  the  Greek  of  these  passages  does 
not  require  any  such  interpretation,  but  almost  cer- 
tainly shows  the  preaching  to  be  that  done  by  Christ 
(probably  through  Noah  himself)  "while  the  long- 
suffering  of  God  waited  in  the  days  of  Noah;"  to 
those  of  that  age  who,  in  Christ's  time,  were  in  the 
hopeless,  prison-part  of  Hades,  condemned  forever. 
(See  comments  by  Cowles  on  this  point,  and  others.) 
The  other  verse  refers  to  the  same  period  and 
preaching.  But  whatever  may  be  the  best  explana- 
tion, the  fundamental  principle  of  Scripture  inter- 
pretation must  be  adhered  to  here  as  elsewhere, 
namely,  that  Scripture  must  be  interpreted  by  itself, 
and  that  thus  it  cannot  contradict  itself.  Difficult 
passages  must  not  be  made  to  teach  what  is  con- 
trary to  the  plain,  general  doctrine  of  the  Word,  as 
would  be  the  case  if  this  were  made  to  refer  to  sal- 
vation after  death.  And,  it  may  be  added,  that  it 
is  never  safe  to  found  a  doctrine  upon  an  obscure 
passage  of  Scripture,  even  if  it  does  not  seem  to  con- 
flict with  the  rest  of  the  Word,  as  this  one  certainly 
does.  Let  every  human  being  rest  with  the  oppor- 
tunity of  salvation  offered  in  this  world,  accept  it 
utterly  for  himself,  and  then  do  his  best  to  get  others 
to  do  the  same;  leaving  the  future  to  God. 

8.     Pre-Existence  of  Spirits. 

Job    38:4;    Where    wast    thou    when    I    laid    the    foundations    of 
the  earth? 

This  is  made  to  teach  that  man  was  some- 
where when  the  earth  was  founded;  and  if  so,  of. 
course  in  the  other  world.  But  note  a  few  facts 
about  the  passage:  The  question  is  one  of  a  ser- 
ies asked  by  Jehovah  of  Job.  This  same  question 
continues  till  verse  II,  and  another  begins  in  verse 
12,  in  v.  16  another,  19  another,  and  others  in  verses 
25»  3X>  34,  39,  and  so  through  chapters  39,  nearly  all  of 
40  and  41 — a  series  designed  by  God  to  bring  before 


99 
Job  the  great  fact  of  his  (Job's)  insignificance  and 
the  brevity  of  his  life.  These  are  all  what  are  called 
"rhetorical"  questions,  not  intended  for  answer  ex- 
cept in  the  impression  made  in  the  individual's  own 
mind.  If  we  make  Job  answer  the  first  as  Mormon- 
ism  does,  by  saying  that  he  had  been  in  existence 
from  unknown  ages  before  the  earth  was  created, 
we  produce  exactly  the  opposite  effect  from  what 
is  clearly  intended  by  the  series  of  questions.  If 
Job  was  watching  God  "lay  the  foundations  of  the 
earth,"  he  knew  pretty  much  all  about  it,  and  would 
naturally  be  puffed  up  by  the  thought  of  his  great 
age  and  knowledge  instead  of  being  humbled  by  the 
thought  of  his  utter  insignificance  compared  with 
God,  as  Jehovah  evidently  intends  by  asking  these 
tremendous  questions.  Job  really  understood  it  this 
way,  and  was  exceedingly  humbled,  as  we  see  in 
chapter  40:  4  and  5.  If  now  we  turn  to  God's  own 
account  of  when  man  began  to  exist,  in  Gen.  2 .7, 
we  find  that  his  body  was  made  before  his  soul, 
and  that  both  were  created  on  this  earth,  after  all 
the  rest  of  the  creation  was  finished  by  God  and 
earth  ready  for  man's  habitation.  The  passage  in 
Job  has  no  possible  reference  to  any  previous  exis- 
tence; nor  has  any  other  passage  in  the  Word,  for 
there  was  no  such  previous  existence.  Man  began 
here. 
9.    Revelation  Continuous. 

Amos  3:6,  7;  Shall  evil  befall  a  city,  and  Jehovah  hath  not 
done  it?  Surely  the  Lord  Jehovah  will  do  nothing,  except 
he  reveal  his  secret  unto  his  servants  the  prophets. 

This  is  made  to  mean  that,  as  God  will  do  nothing 
without  first  telling  it  to  His  prophets  on  the  earth, 
He  must  be  continually  revealing  new  things  or  stop 
divine  activity;  and  that  there  must  consequently 
always  be  a  body  of  prophets  (the  "priesthood") 
through  which  he  speaks,  with  people  to  believe  and 
follow  them.  These  are  pretty  large  consequences 
to  follow  such  a  text.  Let  us  see  if  they  really  do 
follow. 

In  an  age  when  there  was  practically  no  Bible, 
(about  800  before  Christ)  Jehovah  is  announcing 
through  the  prophet  Amos  the  impending  doom  of 
the  wicked  Samaria  and  all  Israel,  as  the  context 
shows.     The   word   "nothing"   refers    simply   to   this 


IOO 

— and  to  nothing  more — to  these  impending  judg- 
ments; and  it  simply  states  that  before  executing 
His  judgments  God  in  mercy  tells  His  prophet 
Amos,  that  those  of  the  people  who  will  do  so  may 
yet  repent  and  avQid  His  wrath.  God  is  not  a 
babbling  child,  to  tell  all  that  He  is  going  to  do, 
even  to  beings  like  worms  of  the  dust  beneath  Him 
and  when  it  does  not  concern  them.  His  majestic 
plans,  covering  all  the  ages,  are  known  only  to  Him- 
self; we  are  told  that  "of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth 
no  one,  not  even  the  angels  of  heaven,  neither  the 
Son,  but  the  Father  only."  (Matt.  24:36.)  And  Christ 
Himself  told  even  the  Apostles,  in  Acts  1:7;  "It 
is  not  for  you  to  know  times  or  seasons,  which 
the  Father  hath  set  within  His  own  authority."  The 
interpretation  given  to  the  passage  is  clearly  with- 
out warrant  in  it,  and  is  contrary  to  the  rest  of  the 
Word.  If  God  should  see  it  necessary  to  the  carrying 
out  of  His  plans  to  reveal  future  events,  He  will  do 
so,  giving  His  messages  to  men  of  godly  character 
always.  But  such  revelations  will  be  exceedingly 
rare,  if  they  come  at  all,  except  as  the  Word  enables 
us   to    understand   something  of   the    future. 

Ps.  85:11;  Truth  springelh  out  of  the  earth,  [in  King 
James'  version  rendered  "shall  spring,"]  and  righteousness  hath 
looked    down     from     heaven. 

This  is  not  a  prophecy,  but  something  already  ac- 
complished in  David's  time.  The  context  shows  a 
beautiful  picture  of  God's  children  at  peace  with 
Him,  at  least  partly  accomplished.  And  even  if  the 
text  were  to  be  regarded  as  still  in  the  future,  it 
would  not  have  any  clue  giving  the  slightest  refer- 
ence to  anything  like  the  coming  forth  of  a  book  of 
revelation,  as  it  is  made  to  have  by  the  use  of  it  in 
Utah.  The  ruins  of  ancient  cities,  even  of  Jerusalem 
itself;  geology  revealing  about  God, — many  possible 
meanings  would  be  true  most  beautifully  and  em- 
phatically and  naturally,  rather  than  such  an  unnat- 
ural, strained  interpretation  as  the  one  suggested. 

Ezekiel  37:16  to  end — the  prophet  joining  the  two 
sticks  labeled  "For  Judah"  and  "For  Joseph"— »is  made 
to  be  a  prophecy  of  the  coming  forth  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon.  "Sticks"  is  made  to  mean  "book"  in 
order  to  get  this  interpretation  out  of  the  passage. 
But  there  is  not  the  shadow  of  an  excuse  for  saying 


IOI 

that  this  word  means  any  such  thing;  for  it  does  not, 
not  once  in  the  whole  Bible;  it  is  the  Hebrew  word 
ets,  and  means  simply  "wood,"  "tree,"  "stick;"  the 
word  for  book  is  sepher  in  several  forms,  or  four 
times  dabat — no  similiarity,  even,  between  the  words. 
And  since  God  Himself  in  this  very  passage  tells 
what  the  sticks  represent,  (see  verses  21  to  23,  please 
read)  it  is  a  peculiarly  aggravated  misuse  of  God's 
Word  to  attempt  to  thrust  into  this  passage  any  oth- 
er meaning.  It  is  simply  a  parable  object-lesson 
which  the  prophet  Ezekiel  was  to  give  to  the  people, 
illustrating  the  fact  that  the  then  divided  kingdom 
of  Israel  should  be  united  spiritually  in  future  ages 
under  the  one  headship  of  Christ — which  is  now  be- 
ing fulfilled.  It  is  hard  to  see  how  any  one  could 
really  think  he  found  any  reference  to  the  Book  of 
Mormon  or  any  other  book  in  this  passage. 
There  is  no  allusion  to  any  such  book,  or  to  any  oth- 
er book  of  new  revelation,  in  the  whole  Word  of 
God.  The  fact  that  the  name  "Joseph"  occurs  in 
this  passage,  of  course,  does  not  connect  it  any 
more  with  Joseph  Smith  than  with  Joseph  Jones  or 
any  other   Joseph. 

10.     The  "Four  First  Principles  of  the  Gospel." 

Keb.  6:1,  2;  Wherefore  leaving  the  doctrine  of  the  first 
principles  (margin  "Gr.  the  -word  of  the  beginning")  of  Christ, 
let  us  press  on  unto  perfection ;  not  laying  again  a  foundation 
of  repentance  from  dead  works,  and  of  faith  toward  God,  of  the 
teaching  of  baptisms  (margin  washings,')  and  of  laying  on  of 
hands,  and  of  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  of  eternal  judg- 
ment. 

The  use  of  this  passage  as  teaching  that  there 
are  four  "first  principles  and  ordinances  of  the  gos- 
pel," and  that  these  are  faith,  repentance,  baptism 
by  immersion  and  "laying  on  of  hands  for  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  is  universal  in  Mormonism.  This 
use  of  the  passage  seems  very  peculiar,  at  least.  If 
the  passage  is  really  intended  as  a  list  of  the  real, 
fundamental  doctrines  of  Christianity,  as  Mormon- 
ism would  seem  to  make  it,  the  whole  six  items  men- 
tioned must  be  taken,  and  should  be  used  in  the  or- 
der as  given.  But  Mormonism  picks  out  four  from 
the  six,  dropping  the  last  two,  and  changes  the  order 
of  the  first  two,  and  announces  the  result  as  the 
"four  first  principles  of  the  Gospel."  Repentance,  in 
the    sense    of    seeing    and    being    sincerely    sorry    for 


one's  sins,  logically  comes  before  faith  in  the 
sense  of  surrender;  and  the  doctrines  of  the  resur- 
rection and  future  judgment  are  vastly  more  funda- 
mental principles  than  any  "teaching  of  baptisms" 
(or  washings)  and  "laying  on  of  hands."  (Note  that 
nothing  is  said  as  to  the  purpose  of  laying  on  of 
hands — Mormonism  adds  that,  which  was  not  at  all 
the  only  purpose  of  the  ceremony,  as  we  have  seen.) 
The  fact  seems  to  be  that  this  passage  was  never  in- 
tended as  a  statement  of  the  fundamental  truths  of 
the  gospel,  at  all.  "The  word  of  the  beginning" 
would  rather  indicate  those  points  of  both  doctrine 
and  practice  which  chiefly  characterized  the  rudi- 
mentary or  earliest  Christian  life  of  the  people,  and 
the  whole  point  of  the  passage  is  that  they  should 
go  on  from  these,  and  not  be  continually  dealing 
with  them — the  alphabet  of  Christian  experience, — 
because  if  they  do  not  progress  into  greater  truths 
and  experiences  there  is  danger  of  their  going  back 
into  even  a  hopeless  state  of  sin.  ("That  ye  be  not 
sluggish,"  v.  12.)  We  should  first  be  sure  that  we 
do  utterly  repent  and  surrender  to  Christ,  and  know 
for  ourselves  that  our  sins  are  washed  away  in 
His  blood.  Then  we  must  go  on — study  and  grow 
and  experience  constantly  more  of  truth  and  of 
God,  through  His  blessed  Word  in  the  Bible.  We 
should  make  this  the  "man  of  our  counsel,"  with  ear- 
nest prayer  that  God  would  help  us  see  just  what  it 
means,  and  to  grasp  by  faith  all  the  experiences  of 
the  Christian  life,  as  we  realize  that  they  are  taught 
in  the  blessed  Word!  (For  some  statements  of 
what  the  gospel  really  is,  see  Acts  13:32-39;  Rom. 
1:16-20;  and  especially  I  Cor.  15:  1-12.) 

— <©* 

CONCLUSION. 

We  have  thus  endeavored  to  set  forth  the  more 
important  facts  about  the  Bible,  as  to  its  origin, 
character  and  value  to  humanity;  with  such  help  as 
limited  space  will  permit  in  studying  its  greater 
truths  and  avoiding  some  errors.  We  trust  that 
God  has  blessed  the  message  of  this  little  book 
to  every  sincere  reader,  so  that  he  has  understood 
and  appreciated  the  Wonderful  Book  as  never  De- 
fore.     But  this    alone   is   not   enough.     Many  a   soul 


has  been  really  converted  and  has  backslidden  again 
into  great  sin,  though  he  believed  fully  in  the  Bible, 
just  because  he  did  not  use  it  as  he  ought.  Ought 
we  not  to  read  at  least  some  in  the  Word  every 
day,  carefully  and  thoughtfully,  at  some  regular 
hour,  as  a  message  from  God?  ,  Will  not  every  read- 
er of  these  words  resolve  so  to  do,  by  the  help  of 
God?  That  such  may  be  the  case  is  the  writer's 
earnest  desire  and  prayer;  and  he  believes  that 
heaven  will  rejoice  over  every  such  decision. 

It  is  suggested  that  this  booklet  be  preserved 
carefully  for  reference  upon  points  of  Scripture  or 
doctrine  whicxi  may  come  uu.  It  will  be  found  a 
storehouse  of  Scripture,  at  least. 


(The  following  note  should  be  added  to  those  at  the  bottom  of 
page  to:) 

*  "The  agreement  of  so  many  justly-honoTed  church  teachers, 
and  the  power  of  custom,  finally  decided  forever  the  canonicity 
of  the  sacred  books.  The  legal  confirmation  of  this  decision 
by  the  councils  is  of  no  importance  for  the  history  except 
that  the  first  attempt  at  closing  the  canon  in  the  Greek  Church 
can  be  connected  with  a  definite  date.  ...  In  the  same 
way,  and  only  a  few-  years  later,  the  Latin  Church  arrived  at 
the  final  establishment  of  its  canon.  .  .  . — Reuss'  History 
of  the  New  Testament,   pp.   326-327. 


I  A  FORM  OF  SURRENDER  TO  GOD. 

I  I 

|       /  hereby  surrender  and  consecrate  myself \  and  all  \ 

|  that  belongs  or  pertains  to  me,  forever  to  the  service  » 

a  of  God,  as  He  shall  help   me  to  understand  his  will.  I 

jj  /  confess  my  sinfulness  hitherto.       With   sincere  re-  * 

«?  pentance  I  trust  wholly  in  Christ  for  the  pardon  of\ 

'j>  my  sin,  for  cleansing  from   its  guilt,  and  for  help  to  \ 

{  know  and  daily  strength  to  do  his   will.      I  will  sin-  $ 

|  cerely  try  to  get  some  message  of  truth  from    Him  $ 

»  every   day    through    the   Bible,   unless  providentially  { 

|  prevented. 

\  S  ign  ed ^_ 


*  n* 


190. 


l^^^^^Z^^^^ 


This  picture  is  one  of  the  most  striking  portrayals  of  the  Cruci- 
fixion ever  made,  The  reader  is  urged  to  study  it  carefully  in  detail, 
together  with  the  passages  under  (2)  on  pages  53  and  54,  and  the 
hymn  opposite  this  picture. 


MANOAH.    CM. 


Ait.  from  Von  Weber. 


254. 


Htm  ye  have  crucified." 


I  SAW  One  hanging  on  a  tree, 
In  agony  and  blood, 
Who  fixed  his  languid  eyes  on  me, 
As  near  the  cross  I  stood. 

2  Sure,  never,  till  my  latest  breath, 

Can  I  forget  that  look : 
It  seemed  to  charge  me  with  his  death, 
Though  not  a  word  he  spoke. 

3  My  conscience  felt  and  owned  the  guilt, 

And  plunged  me  in  despair ; 

I  saw  my  sins  his  blood  had  spilt, 

And  helped  to  nail  him  there. 

4  Alas !  I  knew  not  what  I  did, 

But  now  my  tears  are  vain ; 
Where  shall  my  trembling  son!  be  hid  ? 
For  I  the  Lord  have  slain. 

6  A  second  look  he  gave  that  said, 
"  I  freely  all  forgive : 
This  blood  is  for  thy  ransom  paid ; 
I  die  that  thou  may'st  live." 

6  Thus  while  his  death  my  sin  displays, 
In  all  its  blackest  hue, 
Such  is  the  mystery  of  grace, 
It  seals  my  pardon  too. 

Matt.  1:21;  And  thou  shall  call  His  name  Jesus,  for  it  is  he 
that  shall  save  his  people  from  their  sins. 

John  1:29;  Behold,  the  I*amb  of  God,  that  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the  world  1 

Isa.  53:4-6;  Surely  he  hath  borne  our  griefs,  and  carried 
our  sorrows ;  yet  we  did  esteem  him  stricken,  smitten  of  God, 
•nd  afflicted.  But  he  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  he 
was  bruised  for  our  iniquities ;  the  chastisement  of  our  peace 
was  upon  him;  and  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed.  All  we  like 
sheep  have  gone  astray;  we  have  turned  every  one  to  his  own 
way ;  and  Jehovah  hath  laid  upon  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all. 


UXBRSDCE.    U  M. 


God,    ia  the  gospel    of 


Makes  Hfs  o -  ter-nal  conn  -  seb  known: 


Where  love  in  all  its   glo  •  ry     shines,   Aud  truth  ia  drawn  ia  fair-  eat     lines. 


2  Here  sinners,  of  an  humble  frame, 
May  taste  His  grace,  and  learn  His  name; 
May  read,  in  characters  of  blood, 

Thy  wisdom,  power,  and  grace  of  God.  i 

3  The  prisoner  here  may  break  his  chaise; 
The  weary  rest  from  all  his  pains; 

The  captive  feel  his  bondage  cease, 
The  mourner  find  the  way  of  peace. 

4  Here  faith  reveals  to  mortal  eyes 
A  brighter  world  beyond  the  akies; 
Here  shines  the  light  which  guides  our  way 
From  earth  to  realms  of  endless  day. 

5  Oh,  grant  us  grace,  Almighty  Lord, 
To  read  and  mark  Thy  holy  word; 
Its  truth  with  meekness  to  receive, 
And  by  its  holy  precepts  live. 


Dear  Lord,  oh,  when  wilt  Thou  appear, 
And  bear  Thy  prisoner  away? 

4  While  I  am  here,  these  leaves  supply 
'  His  place,  and  tell  me  of  His  love; 
I  read  with  faith's  discerning  eye,    f 
I    And  gain  a  glimpse  of  joys  above. 

6  I  know  in  them  the  Spirit  breathes 
To  animate  His  people  here; 

Oh,  may  these  truths  prove  life  to  all. 
Till  in  His  presence  we  appear! 

„,  Tbo«uuJCcU|P. 


164  \ 

1  I  tore  the  sacred  Book  of  Oodl 
No  other  can  its  place  supply; 

It  points  uio  to  His  own  abode; 
It  gives  me  wings  and  bids  mc  fly. 

2  Sweet  Book!  in  thee  my  eyes  discern 
The  very  image  of  my  Lord; 

From  thine  instructive  page  I  learn 
The  joys  His  presence  will  afford, 

0  In  thee  I  read,  my  title  clear  \ 
1o  mansions  that  will  ne'er  decay;— 


165 

1  Upon  the  Gospel's  sacred  page 
The  gathered  beams  of  ages  shine; 
And,  as  it  hasteno,  every  age 

But  makes  its  brightness  more  divine. 

2  On  mightier  wing,  in  loftier  flight. 
From  year  to  year  does  knowledge  soar; 
And,  as  it  soars,  the  Gospel  light  ' 
Becomes  effulgent  more  and  more. 

3  More  glorious  still,  as  centuries  roll, 
New  regions  blest,  new  powers  unfurled, 
Expanding  with  the  expanding  *>oul, 

Its  radiance  shall  o'erflow  the  world, — ■ 

4  Flow  to  restore,  but  not  destroy; 
As  when  the  cloudless  lamp  of  day 
Pours  out  its  floods  of  light  and  joy. 
And  sweeps  the  lingering  mist  away.  - 

lohn  Bowleg 


Mk.  12:24;  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Is  it  not  for  this  cause  that 
ye  err,  that  ye  know  not  the  scriptures,  nor  the  power  ot  God? 

Jer.  23:32;  Behold,  I  am  against  them  that  prophesy  lying 
dreams,  saith  Jehovah,  and  do  tell  them,  and  cause  my  people 
to  err  by  their  lies,  and  by  their  vain  boasting;  yet  I  sent  them 
not,  nor  commanded  them;  neither  do  they  profit  this  people 
at  all,  saith  Jehovah. 

Rev.  22:18,  19;  I  testify  unto  every  man  that  heareth  the 
words  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book,  If  any  man  shall  add  unto 
them,  God  shall  add  unto  him  the  plagues  which  are  written 
in  this  book ;  and  if  any  man  shall  take  away  from  the  words 
of  the  book  of  this  prophecy,  God  shall  take  away  his  part 
from  the  tree  of  life,  and  out  of  the  holy  city,  which  are  writ- 
ten in  this  book.  (This  refers  primarily  to  the  book  of  Reve- 
lation, but  logically  also  to  all  the  rest  of  the  Bible.) 


BS530 .N98 

The  wonderful  story  of  the  wonderful 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00037  7657 


